CBS recently fired the journalist Catherine Herridge, which is a shame because, in an age when most journalists are little more than Democrat activists, Herridge is the real deal. Perhaps even more troubling is the news that CBS has seized confidential files from Herridge, who was already battling to protect her sources.
Professor Jonathan Turley wrote about this at The Hill:
CBS faces uproar after seizing investigative journalist’s files“Anyone who isn’t confused really doesn’t understand the situation.” Those words, from CBS icon Edward R. Murrow, came to mind this week after I spoke with journalists at the network.There is trouble brewing at Black Rock, the headquarters of CBS, after the firing of Catherine Herridge, an acclaimed investigative reporter. Many of us were shocked after Herridge was included in layoffs this month, but those concerns have increased after CBS officials took the unusual step of seizing her files, computers and records, including information on privileged sources.The position of CBS has alarmed many, including the union, as an attack on free press principles by one of the nation’s most esteemed press organizations.I have spoken confidentially with current and former CBS employees who have stated that they could not recall the company ever taking such a step before. One former CBS journalist said that many employees “are confused why [Herridge] was laid off, as one of the correspondents who broke news regularly and did a lot of original reporting.”That has led to concerns about the source of the pressure. He added that he had never seen a seizure of records from a departing journalist, and that the move had sent a “chilling signal” in the ranks of CBS.
Many people who are familiar with Herridge’s work note that she is one of the few journalists working today who has challenged claims and narratives put out by Joe Biden and the Biden administration, which only makes this situation look even more suspicious.
David Strom writes at Hot Air:
Herridge is one of the best reporters in the business and one of the only ones outside of Fox News willing to challenge the Biden Administration’s gaslighting. She has covered a number of stories few others would touch, and for that sin, she was just let go by CBS.Not just let go; it did something unprecedented: it seized her files filled with confidential information, including sources – even her files dating back to before she worked for CBS.It’s hard to imagine this was done for any reason other than crippling her ability to pursue stories, and those stories were not good for the Biden Administration. The union is up in arms, and free speech advocates are livid. But CBS is sticking to its guns: Herridge must be silenced.
People are talking on Twitter/X.
Herridge posted this update from SAG-AFTRA:
Text of their statement:
SAG-AFTRA strongly condemns CBS News’ decision to seize Catherine Herridge’s reporter notes and research from her office, including confidential source information. This action is deeply concerning to the union because it sets a dangerous precedent for all media professionals and threatens the very foundation of the First Amendment.It is completely inappropriate for an employer to lay off a reporter and take the very unusual step of retaining and searching the reporter’s files, inclusive of confidential source identification and information. From a First Amendment standpoint, a media corporation with a commitment to journalism calling a reporter’s research and confidential source reporting “proprietary information” is both shocking and absurd.
To borrow a favorite phrase of the left, this is not normal.
Featured image via YouTube.
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