CBS exonerates Rather- How will this effect future election coverage?

[The Vorlon]

CBS News has released the report on the Dan Ra^thergate Story regarding President Bush's Service in the Texas ANG.

The report concludes what we basically already know - that the folks who produced the story ignored any and all facts that did not fit their theory, and blindly rushed to air with a story that not only failed to meet even  he most fundentental rules of journalistic integrity, but indeed was produced in active, knowing, conscious, and deliberate violation of every standard of responsible journalism.

To give CBS some credit here, the report is astonishingly damning, and at least the folks CBS hired to do the report "get it" - if this actually translates to CBS "getting it" remains to be seen, but it is certainly a decent first step.

The fact that the report basically exonerates Dan Ra^ther will no doubt lead the GOP faithful to cry "whitewash", and the perception by Republicans of CBS as a defacto mouth-piece for the Democratic party will remain.

Here is the Report

Here is a link to the reports exhibits

Here is CBS's official response

The real story here, at least to me, is the erosion of the networks as the primary means of presenting "facts" to the American public, and the rise of the internet, the blogs, and alternative media as a counterweight to NBC, ABC, and CBS.

AS Dan Rather might put it.... "questions remains...."

1)  Will the fact that this report exonerates Rather mean that CBS is regarded by the political right as even more baised, and thus deepen, rather than heal, the percieved idealogical slant of CBS...?

2)  Will CBS actually change it's reporting habits and biases in a productive and meaningful way...?

3)  Will other media outlets get "gun shy"... or will this whole matter have a positive effect on the media who know know that "a bunch of guys in pyjamas" can and will take them down if they screw up...?

4)  How, if anybody, is a net political winner from this story....?

5) Who, if anybody, is a net political loser from this story...?

Discuss away

[The Vorlon]

I though the report was damning enough, and I wouldn't expect anchors to be anything but "face men/women."

Rather still believes the report is accurate...

This is a direct and in context quote from the CBS report, in which Rather maintains that the documents in questions are accurate...

On that same day, Rather was interviewed at length by Marcia Kramer at WCBS, the CBS-owned television station in New York City. In the interview, Rather made clear that the blame for the airing of the September 8 Segment lay with 60 Minutes Wednesday personnel. The Panel finds these statements to have been far more appropriate than the CBS Evening News broadcast on September 20. Rather told the Panel that he delivered the apology and gave the WCBS interview in
support of CBS News’ decision that the time had come to stop defending the Segment and, indeed, to disown it.

He told the Panel, however, that he did not fully agree with this decision and still believes that the content of the documents is accurate. The Panel is troubled by these conflicting statements.

Page 26 of the CBS Report