CBS News: Again?

It appears likely that CBS has AGAIN been caught dishonestly manipulating the news. If you have to ask who benefits, then you haven't been paying attention. The network that brought us "fake but accurate" memos about the President, now has aired an "edited" interview with Ken Starr. I guess that makes it accurate but fake.

The controversy surrounds a piece by Gloria Borger, broadcast Monday, May 9. It is alleged that CBS edited an interview with Ken Starr so that he seems to be sharply criticizing the Republican move to change Senate rules so that the president's judicial nominees can be voted on. Starr now says this is not true, and that he was in fact condemning the current practice of opposing judicial nominees on the basis of their ideology. If you watch the interview, it seems odd on its face. The quote alleged to have been taken out of context leads the piece, but a later quote from Starr clearly places him in favor of an up or down vote.

This is the blogosphere, so don't take my word for it. The CBS video is [HERE], and Rush Limbaugh says he has an email from Starr, which he discusses (need I say dramatically and at length?) and quotes from [HERE]. Of course, Karl Rove may have edited the video that seems to have been posted by CBS, and Limbaugh may have been distracted, and actually received an email from Ben Star, the manager of the local Pizza Hut. But I don't think so.

Alan K. Henderson beat PowerLine to this story, though not by much.

[UPDATE] Judge Starr also sent an email explanation to Ramesh Ponnuru at National Review Online. Read it [HERE].