The Derelict Gunslinger

In 1994, Special Assignment and CNN’s documentary unit were merged, giving us added manpower to experiment with prime time magazine shows. Weekly programs meant meeting deadlines, a problem for a spoiled reporter like me. For years, I worked at my own pace on projects of my choosing. Adapting to collaborative reporting was a challenge.

Worse, my muckraking fervor had diminished. I only kept on mucking at CNN because there was nowhere else for an aging investigative reporter to go. More honestly, I didn’t want to give up a sizable salary. I knew, however, that the end of my career was imminent. And except for the money, thankfully so.

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In 1998,  an epidemic of shriveled balls swept through the network. The virus was spawned by an “exposé” accusing the U.S. military of using nerve gas in a clandestine operation during the Vietnam War. The mission was conducted by an elite commando unit that crossed the border into Laos for the alleged purpose of either capturing or killing American defectors suspected of collaborating with enemy forces encamped in the supposedly neutral country.

The controversial report was titled Valley of Death, but is better known as “Tailwind,” the name given the secret mission. The segment was supposed to be a “holy shit” blockbuster bringing attention to a new prime-time Sunday night program called, NewsStand: CNN & TIME. It was a blockbuster all right, but for all the wrong reasons. Instead of divulging military secrets, the “exposé” revealed the pitfalls of television muckraking.

Encapsulated in an eighteen-minute segment were overstatements, injudicious editing, lack of context, and omissions of relevant facts. The fiasco is a paradigm of flaws, blunders and decisions that  epitomize the superficial mentality that is an obstacle to serious television reporting. The story also embodied the perils of muckraking in a profit driven media conglomerate that placed more emphasis on ratings and image than on courage and journalistic principle.

My role in the ignominy was limited to being a cleanup reporter. Nonetheless, the story had a profound impact on my career, as well as my attitude about the future of television investigative reporting. If a Journalism Hall of Infamy is ever created, Tailwind should occupy a prominent place alongside Dan Rather’s 2004 calamitous exposé dealing with George W. Bush’s disgraceful military record.

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I agree there were serious flaws in the “exposé.” But producers, April Oliver and Jack Smith, and those reviewing the supporting material believed the story to be accurate. The sources were considered reliable, particularly Admiral Thomas Moorer, the former Chairman of the Joint Chief’s of Staff. But faith in sources can be perilous. Oftentimes, journalists unconsciously discount exculpatory inconsistencies. A firing offense? In the imperfect craft of investigative reporting, mistakes are bound to happen. CNN’s post mortem admitted as much on its first page.

“Our central conclusion is that although the broadcast was prepared after exhaustive research, was rooted in considerable supportive data, and reflected the deeply held beliefs of the CNN journalists who prepared it, the central thesis of the broadcast could not be sustained at the time of the broadcast itself and cannot be sustained now.”

“Now” was a Monday morning meeting of quarterbacks. The admission that April and Jack did their best but reached the wrong conclusions was certainly not a sufficient reason to ruin careers and reputations. They were casualties of an inordinate level of journalistic cowardice. Rather than retract and apologize for imperfect reporting, CNN hauled them to a sacrificial altar. It was a rush to judgment to protect the network’s image.

Pamela Hill immediately resigned.  Peter Arnett, the on-camera face of Tailwind, survived for a few months. But not without insult. His involvement resulted in a sharp public rebuke from CNN Chairman Tom Johnson, who said it was unconscionable for a reporter to front a story that he failed to research. The statement was remarkable in its ignorance. Television correspondents consistently parrot the work of producers. If all news personalities did their own reporting, 60 Minutes would only be on the air about once a year.

Given my self-righteous attitude, I should have quit. But I was offered a new two year contract boosting my income to well over $200,000. To hell with symbolic gestures. I was a hypocrite. Money notwithstanding, two years was a long time to spend with people I judged to be eunuchs.

Fortunately, CNN relieved me of the burden five months after the Tailwind housecleaning. I was told not to come around anymore.  My paycheck would be direct deposited in the bank until the end of my contract. I said, “Okay.”