Veteran investigative journalist Katherine Herridge, who was fired last week by CBS News, issued a statement Friday that appeared to confirm that CBS News had seized notes from her office after she was fired in an unusual and high-handed manner. announced. Questions arise about the motives of the network.
Herridge, who previously reported on the Justice Department and other national security issues, also reported on the Hunter Biden laptop scandal for the network, refusing to turn over his name to a federal judge appointed by Obama. After that, he was in the middle of a First Amendment lawsuit. Source for an investigative article she wrote for FOX News in 2017.
“Important update via @sagaftra,” Herridge posted on X along with a statement from the union.
Important updates: @Sagaftora https://t.co/4LAYhnpil5
— Katherine Herridge (@CBS_Herridge) February 22, 2024
The statement was released after Tuesday’s article. the hill said columnist and former CBS News legal analyst Jonathan Turley. Said CBS News had seized Herridge’s files. This is extremely unusual for journalists to be fired. said:
SAG-AFTRA strongly condemns CBS News’ decision to seize Katharine Herridge’s press notes and research findings from her office, including confidential source information. This action is deeply concerning to our union because it sets a dangerous precedent for all media professionals and threatens the very foundations of the First Amendment.
It is completely inappropriate for an employer to fire a reporter and take the highly unusual step of preserving and searching the reporter’s file, which contains information and identification of confidential sources. From a First Amendment perspective, it is shocking and ridiculous for a media company committed to journalism to refer to a reporter’s investigation or confidential source reporting as “classified information.”
The retention of media professionals’ reporting materials by their former employers is a significant break from traditional practice, which favors the immediate return of reporting materials. We call on CBS to return this material to Katherine in support of the most fundamental principles of the First Amendment. We are encouraged by CBS News’ recent outreach to SAG-AFTRA on this issue and look forward to a resolution to this issue soon.
CBS News denied in a statement that it had seized her files. report From TV Newsner. The network said in a statement on its website:
Catherine’s belongings were delivered to her home a week ago and we are ready to pack the remaining files for her right away. Her representative will also be present at her request. We are awaiting a response from Catherine and/or her representatives. We respect her request not to view her files, and due to her concerns about confidential sources, the office she used has been kept secure since her departure.
The newspaper said Herridge was fired by CBS News last week, which came as a surprise to media members given his long and distinguished track record as an investigative reporter. post. He is one of about 20 layoffs at the station amid a major “purge” by parent company Paramount Global due to declining revenue, the report said.
But Mr Turley raised eyebrows on Tuesday when he revealed Mr Herridge’s files had been seized and suggested something more was going on.
“Many of us were shocked when Ms. Herridge was included in the layoffs this month, but CBS officials said they would seize her files, computers, and records, including information about privileged sources. “These unusual measures have only heightened those concerns,” he wrote.
“Given other layoffs and declining revenue, Herridge’s addition was defended by the network as a painful but necessary step. But then something strange happened. The network said Ms. Herridge’s memo and “We have informed her that we will obtain the files and determine what, if anything, will be turned over to her. The files likely contain confidential material from her time at Fox and CBS.” added.
“The heavy-handed approach to the file led many to wonder if this was the result of tensions over previously reported stories,” he wrote.
Herridge had reportedly He encountered obstacles from higher-ups over his coverage of Hunter Biden and clashed with CBS News President Ingrid Cyprian Matthews.
Turley also wrote that current and former CBS employees said they could not recall the company ever taking such a step. He added: “One former CBS journalist said many employees were ‘confused as to why this was happening.'” [Herridge] He was fired as one of the correspondents who regularly reported the news and did a lot of original reporting. ”
Turley said the timing of Herridge’s firing was questionable.
“She was pursuing stories that were not welcomed by the Biden White House or by many leading Democrats, including Herr’s reporting on Joe Biden’s declining mental capacity, the Biden corruption scandal, and Hunter Biden’s laptop.” continued to pursue these stories despite Report of backlash “From CBS executives, including CBS News President Ingrid Cyprian-Matthews,” he wrote.
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