"CNN Should Be Commended For Its Apology, But The Public Needs To Know Who Was Responsible And Why It Happened" - Press Release - July 2, 1998

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 2, 1998

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:
BOB ADAMS/KEITH APPELL (703)-683-5004

Bozell Reacts to CNN Apology:

"CNN Should Be Commended For Its Apology, But The Public Needs To Know Who Was Responsible
And Why It Happened"
Statement of Brent Bozell, Chairman, Media Research Center

"I commend CNN and its Chairman Tom Johnson for a thorough retraction and apology over CNN's "Operation Tailwind" report. CNN should be cited for having acknowledged the potential problem immediately, for investigating it thoroughly, and now for apologizing unequivocally.

"Unfortunately, this apology is not enough. According to press reports, six months of work went into this CNN story. And according to the report filed by Floyd Abrams, CNN's investigators had access to significant amounts of research disputing the nerve gas theory, which they declined to use. Add to this the overwhelming evidence which has surfaced disputing CNN's findings, and one must ask if CNN's investigators were guilty of sheer incompetence or were deliberately ignoring the truth in order to damage the reputations of others.

"Mr. Johnson said in his statement: 'The fault lies with the editors, producers and executives responsible for the report, the program and its contents.' CNN must inform the public of who these people are, explain why this injustice was committed, and take punitive actions against those responsible in order to reassure the public that CNN's news product is completely credible and above reproach.

"We are not talking about bias. The accusation - the false accusation - was murder."

Media Interviews
To schedule an interview with Mr. Bozell, or other MRC spokesmen, contact Bob Adams or Keith Appell at (703)-683-5004.