There's already been a lot of commentary on the blockbuster New York Times article concerning former General Barry McCaffrey, his connections to various defense contractors, and the personal lobbying he does while being presented on NBC as an objective commentator on military affairs. The article documents how McCaffrey has advocated policy decisions that would have direct business ramifications to his various employers. NBC's president responded to these concerns by saying, "General McCaffrey was a man of honor and achievement who would never let business obligations color his analysis for NBC."
Hmmm. No doubt this is why NBC's various journalists are allowed to take money from business interests in the areas they cover, since they would never let those obligations color their reporting. Or, wait, it's the appearance of a conflict-of-interest that matters, and NBC doesn't let it's employees take money from business interests. I wonder what NBC's journalists think of the news about McCaffrey.
Anyways, the context for my disgust is that over Thanksgiving I had the chance to watch The Insider, a great film detailing CBS' bowing to corporate pressure from cigarette companies before revealing the truth about how they had knowingly marketed addictive products (old news now, of course, but at the time these disclosures helped lead to the landmark settlement of the various state medicaid lawsuits against Big Tobacco). It's a black mark on CBS' record, and I fail to see the material difference between NBC's decision to knowingly allow a corporate shill, no matter how sterling his record of public service, to market his product as an objective analyst, and CBS's decision to withhold damaging facts about a corporation due to fear of retribution. Am I wrong?
--Tim Fernholz
