Catherine Herridge, a veteran investigative journalist previously with CBS Information, accused the community of committing “journalistic rape” after they seized her information after her firing in February.
“I used to be locked out of my emails and I used to be locked out of the workplace. CBS Information seized a whole bunch of pages of my reporting information together with confidential supply info,” Herridge stated throughout a Home Judiciary Committee listening to on Thursday.
“When the community of Walter Cronkite seizes your reporting information, together with confidential supply info, that’s an assault on investigative journalism.”
The Political Insider reported that CBS had seized Herridge’s information, computer systems, and data. The community although, vowed no one would undergo them and that the paperwork have been locked safely in her workplace.
The firing of Herridge and the best way that it was dealt with, to not point out the timing, initially raised eyebrows, as she had been investigating a side of the Hunter Biden laptop computer scandal on the time.
JUST IN: Reporter Catherine Herridge testifies that CBS Information locked her out of the constructing and seized all her information, says she was working with sources to “expose authorities corruption.”
Nothing in any respect happening right here, people.
“CBS Information’ resolution to grab my reporting data… pic.twitter.com/XDuQEjyHcd
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) April 11, 2024
RELATED: Investigative Journalist Catherine Herridge, Who Had Files Taken By CBS, Held In Contempt
Catherine Herridge Hammers CBS
The testimony by Catherine Herridge exposing CBS Information was nothing wanting damning.
Along with the laptop computer investigation, the award-winning reporter had been masking the Home impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, particular counsel Robert Hur’s report on his dealing with of categorised paperwork, and felony fees towards Hunter Biden.
“I can solely converse for myself. When my data have been seized, I felt it was a journalistic rape,” she acknowledged.
Herridge’s firing itself was fairly a shock to the general public. She was a shock casualty of the community’s layoffs regardless of an award-winning capacity to supply breaking information and insider scoops.
The community subsequently seizing her supplies, nevertheless, was nothing wanting alarming. The ramifications, in response to Herridge, have been far-reaching.
“CBS Information’ resolution to grab my reporting data crossed a crimson line that I consider ought to by no means be crossed by any media group,” the Emmy Award-winner testified.
“A number of sources stated they have been involved that by working with me to reveal authorities corruption and misconduct they’d be recognized and uncovered.”
RELATED: CBS News Chief Behind Firing Of Catherine Herridge To Receive Free Speech Award
CBS Denies Something Out Of The Odd
Regardless of Catherine Herridge’s repeated accusations that the community seized her information, CBS maintains they did nothing out of the atypical.
The New York Submit reports on the community’s declare that “nobody had rifled by means of the information and that they have been finally locked inside Herridge’s former workplace in Washington, DC, earlier than being returned.”
President of CBS Information Ingrid Ciprián-Matthews, who was concerned within the firing of Catherine Herridge, later obtained a First Amendment Award from the RTDNA Basis.
Earlier this 12 months, Herridge was held in civil contempt by a federal decide for refusing to disclose her supply for a sequence of tales revealed in 2017.
U.S. District Decide Christopher Cooper imposed important fines till Herridge complies. She is being pressured to disclose the id of a supply used for a report written that 12 months relating to a Chinese language American scientist who was investigated by the FBI however by no means charged with wrongdoing.
The case, in addition to CBS Information firing and dealing with of her information, has important First Modification implications.
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