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12/08/2004 Archived Entry: "CBS contacting anti-war bloggers"

This item from the news site RatherBiased: CBS Recruiting Anti-War Bloggers to 'Talk Up' Army Deserter Story?...

"The owner of Nonviolence.org, Martin Kelley, said he got an interesting phone call yesterday from a CBS News publicist for-you guessed it-Dan Rather's 60 Minutes Wednesday, the same program that carried the infamous bogus memos.

Kelley quoted: Yesterday I got a call from a publicist for CBS News's 60 Minutes. They're running a story tonight on 'Deserters,' U.S. military personnel who have fled to Canada rather than serve in Iraq. She was requesting that I talk up the program on Nonviolence. In nine years of publishing the peace site, I can't remember ever getting a call from a publicist before. I've talked to reporters from major news networks and papers, and I've talked a booking agent or two to arranging appearances on radio shows, but never a publicist. So now CBS News publicists are courting bloggers. That's great: hey, if y'all want to buy me that new Treo Smartphone or a gift certificate to Gohn Bros I'll say Dan Rather is hotter than an armadillo sunning himself between the yellow lines on the interstate.

"Despite this, Kelley still agrees with the message of the 60 Minutes report and complied with the publicist's request to talk up the program: "CBS News Covers New Conscientious Objectors." Other liberal/anti-war bloggers who have talked about the upcoming story in preparation for tonight's broadcast include No Capital, Daily War News, Bankrupt Artist v.3. These blogs link to the same CBS News story that Kelley linked to after being contacted."