CBS News Took Guidance from Russia?!
Also, why news agencies harp on something while missing the big picture
Listeners to They Stand Corrected know that when it comes to media failures, it takes a lot to surprise me. But even I was amazed by this.
In announcing that it had a rare interview with a Russian official, CBS News indicated that it took guidance from the Russian government. What?! I explain in the new episode.
Based on what CBS and their interview subject, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, said, it seems the network did what his communications team suggested — and, in the process, may have even fallen for a trap. What kind of news agency takes suggestions on how to handle an interview from any government, let alone Russia?
I contacted CBS for comment but, of course, they’ve been silent. Maybe I shouldn’t be surprised. After all, this is the network that punished its own anchor for attempting to do actual journalism. Yes, really. It’s a network that didn’t bother to fact check serial liar Mohsen Mahdawi, the media darling from Columbia University. (Further reading: Is Mohsen Mahdawi the new George Santos?) CBS won a Media Fail Award.
But handling an interview with a war-mongering Russia in a way that the Kremlin suggested? That may be a new low.
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Meanwhile, the host kept asking, over and over, about a two-word quote from Trump. In this episode, I explain when it makes sense to keep pushing for something, and when it’s useless. Plus the behind-the-scenes reasons that news agencies do this often, and how it can be a sign of losing perspective and missing the most important points.
Also in this episode, how a big recent event showed the media’s propensity for grandstanding, and why it’s so damaging. More to come on that.
And introducing… drumroll… transcripts for paid subscribers. I’ll be sharing text versions of sections of the podcast. Here’s a little taste, which explains what CBS did.