In the wake of an embarrassing "60 Minutes" error in a report on Benghazi, CBS put reporter Lara Logan and her producer Max McLellan on a leave of absence.
“Their October 27 report featured a security contractor who claimed among other things that he tried to fight off the attackers from inside that embassy compound. That contractor’s story was later discredited.” (Via CNN)
“A CBS internal report found the network did a poor job vetting that source. No word on how long the leave of absence will last.” (Via WJZ-TV)
The October report featured a security contractor named Dylan Davies who claimed he was present at the attack and saw the body of U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens. However, it was later revealed he had told the FBI a different story. (Via Daily Mail)
CBS News’ executive director of standards and practices reviewed the report and exposed other weaknesses within it calling it “deficient in several respects.” (Via The New York Times)
The Washington Post reports CBS and Logan defended the story for almost two weeks before apologizing.
“The most important thing to every person at 60 Minutes is the truth and today the truth is we made a mistake. And that’s very disappointing for any journalist.” (Via CBS)
Logan has worked for CBS News for more than a decade, working as chief foreign affairs correspondent and also as a regular contributor to CBS Evening News. (Via YouTube / GWGlobalMedia)
CBS News Chairman went on to say there’s a lot to learn from this mistake and there are changes being made within CBS News to help prevent errors in the future.
