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CBS News Fixture Parts Ways With the Network After Reported Battle Over Airtime, Political Bias

Mar 11, 2014  •  Post A Comment

A fixture at CBS News has decided to leave the network after “months of hard-fought negotiations,” reports Politico’s Dylan Byers. The story reports that investigative correspondent Sharyl Attkisson terminated her contract with the network.

The piece reports: “Attkisson, who has been with CBS News for two decades, had grown frustrated with what she saw as the network’s liberal bias, an outsize influence by the network’s corporate partners and a lack of dedication to investigative reporting, several sources said.”

She also felt her work wasn’t supported by the network, and that she was fighting to get her reports on-air.

Attkisson definitely received less airtime over the past few years, reports TVNewser.

Attkisson was one of CBS News’ top 20 correspondents from 2007-2009, with between 145 minutes and 160 minutes per year. But by 2012, she had fallen to 36 minutes, making her the No. 100 correspondent in terms of airtime. Last year her airtime rose to 54 minutes, but she was still No. 100.

“Feeling increasingly stymied and marginalized at the network, Attkisson began talking to CBS News President David Rhodes as early as last April about getting out of her contract. Those negotiations intensified in recent weeks, and her request was finally honored on Monday,” Politico notes.

Attkisson told Politico that her departure was “amicable,” adding that she will focus on writing a book that’s being published by HarperCollins, which is owned by News Corp.

Byers writes: “Attkisson had become a polarizing figure at the network, sources there said. While some championed her relentless dedication to investigations — ranging from defective Firestone tires to the Fast and Furious gun-walking scandal — others saw evidence of a political agenda, particularly against President Barack Obama. (The bulk of Attkisson’s work since 2009 has focused on the failures or perceived failures of the Obama administration, including its failed green-energy investments and the attack in Benghazi, though she has reported on several Republican failures as well.)”

sharyl attkisson-cbs news.jpgSharyl Attkisson

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