NEW YORK (April 25, 2000)—Amidst a hailstorm of objections from the lead counsel representing Fox, Walter Cronkite has testified on behalf of two veteran journalists suing the network’s O-and-O in Tampa.

CRONKITE  TESTIFIES

     Cronkite appeared for more than an hour Tuesday in a conference room at CBS headquarters here to provide expert testimony about the pre-broadcast/legal review process and the proper role of those involved—the journalists, their news editors and executives, and the attorneys hired to protect the interests of the broadcasting company.

     In a lawsuit set for trial June 12, reporters Steve Wilson and Jane Akre have charged they were suspended, locked out and ultimately fired from WTVT for refusing orders from station lawyers and management to slant a series of investigative reports.
     Fox has denied any wrongdoing and claims the journalists refused reasonable editorial oversight.
      Cronkite, the dean of broadcast journalism and frequently referred to as "the most trusted man in America," stepped down as managing editor and anchor of The CBS Evening News in 1981. Since then he has continued to work as a Special Correspondent for CBS News and has frequently spoken out against the direction TV news has taken in the last several years.
       Always a supporter of the highest ethical standards in journalism, Cronkite has recently assailed what he’s called the "dumbing down" of news broadcasts and the philosophy that the bottom line has lately become the only line at many news organizations now owned and controlled by large corporations with few if any roots in journalism. (see  Cronkite's latest statement)
      Without offering any judgments on the specific facts at issue in the Tampa case, Cronkite testified that every journalist has a strong duty to resist reporting false and distorted information, and responsible news organizations do not let lawyers dictate editorial decisions.
        "There is no one better than Walter Cronkite to help us explain to a Tampa jury just what are the bounds of good and ethical journalism," said plaintiff Wilson.
         "Given what sometimes passes for news these days, local viewers could do with a reminder of what journalists and news broadcasters are supposed to stand for," he added.

       Patricia Anderson, once lead defense counsel in the case before Fox replaced her with McDaniels, did not appear at the Cronkite deposition, although Fox sent one its New York attorneys to observe. Asked why she was absent from such an important deposition, Anderson said, "I didn't want to see an old man embarrassed."
      It was not immediately clear which older gentleman she meant, Cronkite or her own legal colleague McDaniels.

ANDERSON & McDANIELS

       Cronkite joins consumer advocate and presidential candidate Ralph Nader on the plaintiff’s expert witness list. Over the objections of Fox lawyers, the trial court judge has not objected to Nader being called to explain the public interest requirement that all broadcasters are legally required to follow.
       Fox has admitted it was under strong pressure from Monsanto, a subject of Wilson and Akre’s reports about bovine growth hormone and its effects on the public milk supply in Florida and throughout much of the country. Monsanto, a Fox advertiser, threatened "dire consequences" if the Wilson/Akre reports were broadcast. WTVT, one of 22 stations that are part of Rupert Murdoch’s media empire, has denied any wrongdoing.
       "Mr. Cronkite is going to be this jury’s journalistic compass," explained co-plaintiff Jane Akre. "He is going to remind the jurors about the high road many news organizations no longer travel these days.
        He will make it perfectly clear what should and should not happen in the final review process when stories are edited for broadcast. He’ll make it clear what ought to happen when the public interest clashes with a news organization’s own selfish interest to maximize its profits.
        "And after he lays the foundation about the journalist’s duty to resist pressures to distort the news, we’ll present a host of other witnesses and solid evidence that Fox fired Steve Wilson and me merely for insisting on high ethical standards that WTVT managers and lawyers wanted to ignore," Akre added.
       William McDaniels, lead defense counsel for Fox in this case, lodged vociferous objections to Cronkite’s testimony in an impromptu telephone hearing with the trial judge just prior to the deposition. Judge Ralph Steinberg held the long-distance telephone hearing after he was called because the parties could not agree on the procedural grounds for the deposition to go forward.
        Since McDaniels reserved his objections for trial, Fox is now expected to try and convince Judge Steinberg that since Cronkite is neither a lawyer nor an expert on broadcast law, his testimony should not be heard by the jury.
        "What kind of a news organization needs to put distance between itself and Walter Cronkite, the unassailable champion of ethical journalism in America?" asked plaintiff Wilson.
        "When Walter Cronkite says ‘That’s the way it is,’ viewers know he’s not influenced by any interest other than the truth and the public interest. That is precisely what this lawsuit is all about—and exactly the standard that Fox fears the jury may apply in this case," he said.