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David Brooks and Susan Estrich

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Say it ain't so, Joe

By Susan Estrich
Posted Monday, June 22, 1998, at 8:11 PM ET

Dear David:

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Oh but the yelling today about US News. I've just returned from an afternoon in Burbank on satellite duty, and the to-do about the Linda Tripp tapes on cable is hardly to be believed. Why do we care so much? What is Jim Fallows doing debating Katie Couric about whether the tapes help or hurt the obstruction claim? Who picks the tapes here? Who picks the reporters? Who could have no ideological ax to grind in this swamp? Does Fallows keep his job now? Does it matter if it turns out that US News got used by somebody?

Speaking of which, I couldn't possibly help but tie together last month's Stephen Glass story and last week's Patricia Smith story (Boston Globe reporter) with this morning's amazing story about the Time-CNN possible screwup on their big nerve gas "scoop." (Slate's Chatterbox raised doubts about the source of the Time-CNN story way back on June 10-click here to read the item.) Now the New York Times comes right out and says that it would be impossible, the CNN military consultant resigns in protest, etc. But most interesting of all to me is the fact that a news organization would specifically omit an important fact (that your lead witness suffered from a memory disorder, remembering nothing until religious conversion and the questions of the CNN producer). And then not only do they still go with the story, but they buck responsibility downward for the call on excluding any mention of such a problem in the piece. . . and then Time runs it under the CNN byline.

This wasn't some little mistake--this was the Newstand show's debut, the big story. Say it ain't so, Joe.

Susan

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