Two producers for the Alaska television station KTVA are no longer with the CBS affiliate after an internal assessment found that they made comments that were were not in line with the station’s standards, the channel said in a press release late Tuesday.
In a recording posted on the conservative website Big Government, individuals could be heard discussing a supposed plan to make up a sensational story on Miller — in reality, joking that they would find a child molester who was voting Republican to tie him to Miller.
But the station found that contrary to the claims of the Miller campaign, neither the news director, an assignment editor or reporters for the station were involved in the recorded conversation, the station said.
“As we worked through this fact-finding process we noted that actual story assignments for that day had already been decided before the recorded conversation took place,” General Manager Jerry Bever said in a statement. “At no time did any of the elements associated with the recorded comments become part of any coverage or broadcast. The recorded conversation in question specifically involved how that evening’s Miller rally might be promoted and the ensuing dialogue went down hill from there. These particular comments were not in line with KTVA standards.”
Miller supporter Sarah Palin accused the media of conspiring against Miller after the recording came out, and said that CBS stood for “Corrupt Bastards Club.”
As a matter of policy, KTVA did not identify the staff members involved.
Ryan J. Reilly
Ryan J. Reilly is a D.C.-based reporter for TPM. Prior to joining TPM, he worked for a news website covering the Justice Department and was a researcher for Bloomberg News. His email address is ryan(at)talkingpointsmemo.com.
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