With schadenfreude as its fuel, the story propels worldwide until every mainstream and self-styled cultural news reporter joined the media echo chamber. To its credit, the Journal did give Ms. Couric a chance for a canned retort:
"I am working hard and having fun. My colleagues continue to impress me with their commitment to the newscast, and I am very proud of the show we put on every day."Hmm. She doesn't deny it, does she? But what if the story is not true, and you're CBS PR chief Gil Schwartz (aka Fortune columnist Stanley Bing) charged with the extinguishing the fictitious flame? TV Week's Michelle Greppi notes:
"The press report is not the first time such a scenario has been floated."CBS (under Schwartz's imprimatur I presume) issued this denial:
"We are very proud of the 'CBS Evening News,' particularly our political coverage, and we have no plans for any changes regarding Katie or the broadcast.""No plans?" Won't that come back to bite CBS? I guess it's better than saying, "no current plans."
No matter. The damage is done. Ms. Couric's departure will soon become a self-fulfilling prophecy. What's more, the incessant and insatiable news vortex couldn't leave well enough alone. The follow-on now has Ms. Couric tagged as that "old-looking" Larry King's replacement on the CBS future mash-up CNN.
But wait. Didn't the "CBS outsourcing to CNN" story also necessitate a public denial from CBS (from the same PR person's keyboard)?
"We are extremely satisfied with and proud of our newsgathering operation. No outside arrangement is being negotiated," the spokesperson said.I still have to ask: what presumably authoritative source(s) duped the nation's two most respected national daily newspapers in a matter of one week? Or is truth a relative term?
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