Public Eye is now live. So far so good:
Brian Montopoli tries to get answers as to why the networks, like CBS, decided to stick with their usual prime time line-ups even after it was clear that the Katrina disaster was more than just a hurricane story — Montopoli traces it to the decline of the prime time hour-long newsmagazines, which are easier to pre-empt than entertainment.
CBS News editor Dick Meyer says that Public Eye was not launched as a response to the “National Guard memo disaster.”
Vaughn Ververs gives an explanation of Public Eye’s mission, promising to “provide informative details along with critical assessments of CBS”
Hillary Profita asks Rand Morrison, executive producer of CBS News Sunday Morning, just what exactly qualifies Nancy Giles — who said that the government would have reacted faster to Katrina if the victims had been white — to spout her opinions on CBS News. Answer: She’s a sentient human being.
As I said, I think they picked the right guy for the job in Vaughn Ververs: Now it’s up to Andrew Heyward and CBS News to deliver answers.