We recently highlighted the story of the journalist Catherine Herridge, who was fired by CBS News, after which the network seized her confidential files. Herridge had been working on stories that might be negative for Joe Biden and the administration, so people were naturally suspicious and outraged.
Now, after public scrutiny and pressure from members of Congress, the network has returned the files.
The New York Post reports:
CBS News returns confidential files of reporter covering Hunter Biden laptop scandalCBS News on Monday finally returned confidential files belonging to fired investigative reporter Catherine Herridge amid mounting pressure from the House Judiciary Committee and the union representing the journalist, The Post has learnedHerridge — who is in the middle of a key First Amendment case — had been probing the Hunter Biden laptop scandal when the acclaimed journalist was shockingly fired as part of mass layoffs by parent company Paramount Global nearly two weeks ago.Her personal files — along with her work laptop, which may have contained other confidential info — were immediately confiscated and locked away at the CBS News office in Washington, DC.“Catherine Herridge’s union representative picked up her materials this morning,” a CBS News rep confirmed to The Post on Monday.A spokesperson for SAG-AFTRA, the union representing CBS News employees, confirmed that several boxes containing Herridge’s reporting materials were returned.
Herridge posted this update on Twitter/X.
From the SAG-AFTRA statement:
SAG-AFTRA Statement on CBS News Return of Reporter’s FilesSAG-AFTRA is pleased to confirm that earlier today a representative of our union monitored the return of several boxes containing Catherine Herridge’s reporting materials from her CBS News office in Washington D.C. Herridge is currently reviewing the materials.We welcome CBS News’ reversal which came after SAG-AFTRA’s intervention and widespread media coverage that underscored shared concerns about press freedom and the First Amendment.The resolution of this matter sends a strong message of protection for basic First Amendment principles. We further hope the public focus now turns to SAG-AFTRA’s continued efforts to support a Press Shield law that provides additional federal protections for journalists and their confidential sources.
The House Judiciary Committee had a lot to do with this change.
From the Washington Examiner a few days ago:
Republicans investigate claims CBS seized veteran journalist’s filesThe House Judiciary Committee asked CBS News on Friday to provide the committee with records related to the network’s recent termination of journalist Catherine Herridge after accusations surfaced that her now-former employer inappropriately seized her belongings when she left.The committee requested in a letter to CBS News President Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews that she provide lawmakers with a briefing about the events surrounding Herridge’s exit, as well as provide them with certain internal company communications about it by March 1.
Members of the media were surprisingly quiet during this situation. It’s fun to imagine what they would have said if this happened on Trump’s watch.
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