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JOE BARTON, Chairman of the House Commerce Committee, will hold Congressional hearings on the accuracy and fairness of the network news broadcasts, beginning sometime after the Nov. election. Quotable:

Barton said it concerned him that news anchors like Ra^ther also are the news directors of their organizations. "Here you have Dan Ra^ther the on-air reporter going to Dan Ra^ther the off-the-air CBS director of news saying: 'Mr. Ra^ther, I have this story in Texas about the presidential campaign. I think it's true, and I want it to be true, and I want to report it as true. What do you think?' Dan Ra^ther says, 'Well, as director of CBS News if you say you think it's true, and you want it to be true, go ahead and do it.' There's no safety valve there."

See also, "News scandal threatens a storied career." Quotable:

In Houston, radio station KPRC reacted by taking Ra^ther's 4 p.m., five-minute newscast off the air .. In its place, KPRC is now airing a five-minute newscast produced by Fox Radio News. Listeners have been "99 percent supportive," Charles said, showering the station with hundreds of congratulatory e-mails.

Posted by Greg Ransom | TrackBack