CBS News came under renewed pressure in September 2004 after disclosures about the network's handling of a segment questioning President George W. Bush's service in the Texas National Guard during the 1970s.
The network acknowledged that Mary Mapes, the report's producer, had put a key source, Bill Burkett, in contact with Kerry campaign aide Joe Lockhart before the story aired. Burkett had supplied documents suggesting political pressure had been applied to soften accounts of Bush's Guard record. CBS later said it could not confirm the documents were genuine.
White House communications director Dan Bartlett accused the network of coordinating a political attack on Bush alongside the Democratic presidential campaign. Lockhart denied any improper exchange, saying Burkett offered advice on countering attacks on Kerry's own military record and that the documents were never part of their conversation.
CBS said in a statement that operating in concert with any political agenda violated its news standards, and that an independent review would examine the circumstances of the report.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this AFP wire report, first published in September 2004, in its own words.