60 Minutes

CBS's Logan Lets Benghazi Witness, Stevens' Advisers Cut Through Obama 'Misinformation'
By Matthew Balan | October 28, 2013 | 4:24 PM EDT

On Sunday's 60 Minutes, CBS's Lara Logan bluntly pointed out how the September 11, 2012 Islamist attack on the U.S. facilities in Benghazi, Libya "have been overshadowed by misinformation, confusion, and intense partisanship". Logan turned to an actual eyewitness of the attack, along with two former advisers to deceased Ambassador Chris Stevens – Greg Hicks and a Green Beret officer – to refreshingly outline what actually happened that infamous night.

However, the correspondent failed to explicitly mention President Barack Obama or former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during her report. She only vaguely noted that "contrary to the White House's public statements, which were still being made a full week later, it's now well established that the Americans were attacked by al Qaeda in a well-planned assault." [video below the jump]

'60 Minutes' Accused of Anti-Semitism at CBS Shareholders Meeting
By Noel Sheppard | May 24, 2013 | 9:38 AM EDT

A pro-Israel media watchdog accused "60 Minutes" of anti-Semitism at CBS's shareholders meeting Thursday.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the complaint stemmed from a segment aired April 22, 2012, called "Christians of the Holy Land" (video follows with partial transcript and commentary).

CBS's Scott Pelley at Quinnipiac Luncheon: 'We Are Getting Big Stories Wrong, Over and Over Again'
By Tom Blumer | May 12, 2013 | 12:03 PM EDT

Scott Pelley deserves grudging credit for recognizing something obvious at a Friday luncheon in New York. Readers tempted to go beyond that point would be advised to visit the archive of Pelley-related posts at NewsBusters on his brand of so-called journalism, a few of which will be identified later in this post.

At said luncheon, Pelley received the 20th annual Fred Friendly First Amendment Award from the School of Communications at Quinnipiac University. In his acceptance speech (full YouTube; excerpt here; HT Weekly Standard), Pelley spoke of journalistic failures during the past few months. He wants to believe that the past few months have been extraordinarily bad to a supposedly unprecedented extent.

Lesley Stahl: ‘We're All Going To End Up Wearing Burqas’
By Noel Sheppard | April 21, 2013 | 2:52 PM EDT

CBS’s Lesley Stahl made a comment Sunday that in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing might give many Americans chills.

During a discussion about that horrific event on the syndicated Chris Matthews Show, Stahl said, “We're all going to end up wearing burqas” (video follows with transcript and commentary):

'60 Minutes' and '48 Hours' Twitter Accounts Hacked, Sent Anti-Obama Messages
By Noel Sheppard | April 21, 2013 | 11:52 AM EDT

The Twitter accounts of CBS's 60 Minutes and 48 Hours have been hacked and suspended.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, before the suspension, anti-Obama messages were sent:

CBS Promotes 'Rock Star' Dissenting Catholic Nuns; Hypes 'Inquisition'
By Matthew Balan | March 18, 2013 | 4:28 PM EDT

On Sunday's 60 Minutes, CBS ran to the aid of dissident Catholic sisters in the U.S. and recycled many of its talking points from their sympathetic coverage of the sisters' "Nuns on the Bus" tour in 2012. Bob Simon trumpeted the supposed "rock star" status of the leader of the sisters' coalition and tossed mostly softball questions at her. He also repeatedly used the loaded term "Inquisition" to ballyhoo the apparent "crackdown" against the heterodox nuns.

Simon made his slant toward the dissenters clear when another prominent dissident sister compared the battle between the bishops and her allies to a schoolyard battle of the sexes: "The boys played the girls. And for once, the girls won, and the boys are upset." The journalist replied, "Isn't that what it's all about?"

War on Women? Matthews, Olbermann Forced Pregnant Norah O’Donnell to Work Until 2 AM
By Jeffrey Meyer | March 8, 2013 | 3:58 PM EST

Being that March is Women’s History Month and March 8 is International Women’s Day, what better time to showcase a prominent female journalist being treated poorly by her male colleagues, particularly ones from the "war on women" network itself, MSNBC.

Speaking with the liberal Huffington Post, CBS This Morning co-host Norah O’Donnell describes a not-so-pleasant experience with former NBC colleagues Chris Matthews and Keith Olbermann back in 2008:

Cal Thomas Column: '60 Minutes'' Missed Opportunity
By Cal Thomas | January 31, 2013 | 6:30 PM EST

In the days of the late Mike Wallace, "60 Minutes" was known for hard-hitting, aggressive journalism that asked the questions viewers wanted answered and held the powerful accountable.

The Jan. 27 program on which Steve Kroft interviewed President Obama (at his request, no less) and outgoing Secretary of State Hillary Clinton fell far short of that high standard. It was the kind of softball toss you might have expected if Oprah Winfrey or Barbara Walters had conducted the interview.

Letterman: ‘You, Al Gore, Are Doing Business With Country That's Enabling Your Ultimate Foe of Climate Change’
By Noel Sheppard | January 30, 2013 | 7:21 AM EST

A truly shocking thing happened on the CBS Late Show Tuesday.

Host David Letterman actually challenged guest Al Gore about his recent sale of Current TV to al Jazeera saying, “So you, Al Gore, are doing business with this country that's enabling your ultimate foe of climate change” (video follows with transcript and commentary):

Fox's Bret Baier Quotes NB's Sheppard on Why Obama Loves Going on 60 Minutes
By NB Staff | January 30, 2013 | 12:03 AM EST

As NewsBusters reported, CBS's Steve Kroft told CNN's Piers Morgan Monday that President Obama likes going on 60 Minutes because "he knows that we're not going to play gotcha with him."

On Tuesday, Fox News's Bret Baier quoted NewsBusters associate editor Noel Sheppard's opinion on this matter (video follows with transcript):

Bozell Column: No 'Playing Gotcha' With Obama
By Brent Bozell | January 29, 2013 | 10:00 PM EST

Did you see that hard-hitting report on “60 Minutes” on Sunday, the one that charged that one of our nation's most famous leaders and role models is a shameless liar, a ruthless intimidator and even “incinerator” of enemies, a man who operates like the Mafia?

No, that wasn’t the interview with Barack Obama, alongside Hillary Clinton. It was an interview later in the same show about the drug-enhanced bicyclist Lance Armstrong. That’s CBS News for you – a guy who pedals a bike through France is hammered as if he is the most powerful man in the world, while the most powerful man is treated like a lovable celebrity -- because that is precisely how they feel.

CBS's Kroft on Why Obama Does 60 Minutes: 'He Knows We're Not Going To Play Gotcha With Him'
By Noel Sheppard | January 28, 2013 | 11:56 PM EST

CBS's Steve Kroft made a statement Monday that totally epitomizes liberal media bias in the modern era.

Speaking to CNN's Piers Morgan about his interview with Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton on the previous evening's 60 Minutes, Kroft said the President likes doing his show because "he knows that we're not going to play gotcha with him" (video follows with transcript and commentary):