Bari Weiss seems to have confused some of the folks at CBS News after being hired as its new editor in chief.
The New York Times reported that Weiss stunned members of senior staff of the show “60 Minutes,” by asking a simple question: “Why does the country think you’re biased?”
The inquiry was met with stunned awkwardness, according to three people who recounted details from the private session in Midtown Manhattan. The staff of “60 Minutes,” the nation’s most-watched news program, view their coverage as firmly nonpartisan and reject criticism from President Trump and his allies who argue that it has a liberal slant.
The exchange added to the uncertainty that has settled over CBS News as hundreds of producers, anchors and correspondents take stock of their institution’s unorthodox new boss in her first two weeks on the job.
Well, since the folks at CBS News don’t know why everyone believes they are biased in favor of the left, I’m volunteering to help them understand.
You see, ladies and gentlemen at CBS News, the reason everyone thinks you favor the left is simple: It’s because you routinely prop up Democrats while criticizing Republicans. In several instances, your show has been used to deceptively smear folks on the right.
Remember when you falsely accused Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis of running a “pay-to-play” scheme involving COVID-19 vaccine distribution to Publix supermarkets? Yes, that’s right. It was when correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi claimed that the grocery chain’s $100,000 donation to DeSantis’ campaign influenced his decision to partner with the company to help distribute vaccines to Floridians.
Then, you heavily edited the video showing DeSantis’ explanation of how the partnership was formed. He clearly told the state that his administration made the decision in consultation with Palm Beach County officials who specifically requested Publix because it was the easiest way to ensure Floridians got the vaccine.
I mean, even Democrats called you out on your blatant lie. Florida Emergency Management Director Jared Moskowitz and Palm Beach County Mayor Dave Kerner, both Democrats, characterized your report as “intentionally false” and said CBS “should be ashamed.”
As it turns out, when you deceptively edit footage to promote a fake narrative aimed at making your political opponents look bad, people might think you’re a bit biased.
Speaking of editing tapes, I’d like to remind you of that time you altered portions of Vice President Kamala Harris’ interview to conceal the fact that she was such a horrible presidential candidate that Democrats would have done better to put a platypus at the top of the ticket.
When asked about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to buck the Biden administration amid its war against Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Harris gave a long-winded word salad with ranch dressing in response. You deliberately cut out her incoherent diatribe and only aired the part where she didn’t sound like a complete imbecile.
President Donald Trump sued your network, and the FCC had to investigate. See, when you deliberately edit an interview to prevent your viewers from viewing your preferred candidate favorably, people might think you’re a bit biased.
Here’s one more example for you. Let’s hop in the Delorean and travel back to 2003, when then-President George W. Bush was campaigning against John Kerry to remain in the White House. Just weeks before the election, Dan Rather presented documents on “60 Minutes” that claimed to show that Bush received preferential treatment during his stint in the National Guard. The papers included documents supposedly written by Bush’s commander, Lt. Col. Jerry Killian, in 1973.
Killian supposedly slammed Bush for being grounded from flying for failing to take a flight physical. It also claimed Bush, in a phone call, asked to be excused from drills because he was working on the Winton Blount Senate campaign in Alabama.
There was also a memo claiming that higher-ups were pressuring Bush’s superiors to “sugarcoat” Bush’s evaluation and to give him higher marks than he had earned because of his family’s influence.
The problem? It was completely fake. The issue became an entire debacle for your network. It is now affectionately known as “Rathergate.” Bloggers exposed the lie when they pointed out that the document was created using word processors, not 1970s typewriters. The Columbia Journalism Review noted that CBS News’ “competitiveness and scoopaholism” prompted them to blindly accept Rather’s documents instead of doing their due diligence.
See, the thing is, CBS News, is that when you are so eager to smear a presidential candidate you don’t like that you unquestioningly run with false allegations because they might influence the outcome of an election, people might think you’re a bit biased.
The reality is that “60 Minutes” has maintained a clear bias in favor of the left for years. Even Stevie Wonder could see that the show’s objective is to promote the Democratic Party’s agenda. In fact, it’s amazing that you actually believe you’re successfully hiding this.
Of course, perhaps you don’t view yourself as biased. Maybe you have been locked in your left-wing echo chamber for so long, that you view the truth as anything that aligns with the left. But if you don’t want to be seen as biased, perhaps you should just stop being biased. It’s just a suggestion.