From Drudge:



"The audience appears to [be] polarized," a top CBS source said from LOS ANGELES on Thursday. "Rightly or wrongly, we're being perceived as 'anti-Bush,'(Funny statement. Is he saying people may be right to see them as Anti-Bush?) which I do not think is fair to Dan, who is a fine journalist... of course we do not like to see the ratings coming back the way they are this week."

In Philadelphia, the nation's #4 market, Rather pulled a 2.6 rating/5 share on Tuesday night against ABC's 13.3 rating/23 share and NBC's 4.0/7.

In Chicago, Rather hit a 2.3/5 to ABC's 9.2/20.

CBS trailed ABC by more than 2 to 1 in Los Angeles.

And in the nation's top market, New York, Rather finished not only behind NBC NIGHTLY NEWS and ABC WORLD NEWS TONIGHT -- but also pulled less audience than reruns of the SIMPSONS, WILL & GRACE and KING OF QUEENS.

Rather finished dead last in New York during the 6:30 pm timeslot among all broadcast channels tracked by NIELSEN on Tuesday.

http://www.drudgereport.com/cbsd3.htm

Sucks to be Dan (and CBS News) about now.

It kills me that ratings have anything to do with this. Whether you're liberal or conservative, what kind of news organization doesn't check their facts, and then, when those facts are questioned, makes no effort to find out what happened and get the true story out? If this were the Enquirer, I wouldn't be surprised, but this is supposed to be a reputable news agency. and what kind of news director focuses his comments on his disappointment in the ratings instead of his dedication to getting the story straight?

---

Slowguy

(insert pithy phrase here...)

I agree. I heard someone say yesterday that maybe the reason the are holding the line is that as long as they maintain they are true then they are protected but if the admit they made a mistake, that besides looking really stupid, the shield laws that protect sources fall away and they will be forced to reveal who the source was. I hadn't thought about that but it is interesting theory.

I think Dan is playing a dangerous game with his career now and CBS just looks plain silly to me

"Whether you're liberal or conservative, what kind of news organization doesn't check their facts, and then, when those facts are questioned, makes no effort to find out what happened and get the true story out?" Exactly and I hope whoever was responsible for this is fired and doesnt' get another job in journalism.

"Sucks to be Dan (and CBS News) about now."

As well it should. It's one thing to be stupid, it's another to be arrogant about it.

---

Cousin Elwood - Team Over-the-hill Racing
Brought to you by the good folks at Metamucil and Geritol...