The Federal Election Commission received a complaint Thursday asking that CBS be punished for broadcasting a "political attack ad" against President Bush in violation of campaign finance laws. The complaint, filed by the Center for Individual Freedom, accuses CBS and the Kerry campaign of colluding on a calculated attack on Bush. The network's "60 Minutes" program aired a now infamous segment Sept. 8 featuring discredited documents on Bush's National Guard service. "The broadcast segment bore far more resemblance to a political attack advertisement coordinated with and supported by the opponent's campaign and political party than to a journalistically sound, well-researched 'news story,' " according to the group's complaint.
The center's executive director, Jeff Mazzella, described the connections between CBS and the Kerry campaign as improper and in conflict with journalism ethics. He also said the network's actions violated federal campaign laws. Kerry senior adviser Joe Lockhart has acknowledged that CBS News producer Mary Mapes called him Sept. 4. Lockhart proceeded to make a Sept. 5 call to former Texas National Guard officer Bill Burkett, which allowed Mapes to advance the story on the purported Bush records. "If there had been no coordination, there would have been no attack story," Mazzella said. "CBS would not have been able to use the documents it so desperately needed for its assault on President Bush if one of its producers hadn't coordinated with the Kerry campaign." |