Palin: News Station Trying to "Make Up" Stories
Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin is accusing staffers at CBS Anchorage affiliate KTVA of conspiring to fabricate a story about Republican senate candidate Joe Miller.
Sunday on Fox News, Palin said a cell phone recording shows two of the reporters were trying to discredit the Miller campaign.
"It was revealed and we have the tape that proves it, that the CBS reporters, the affiliate in Alaska, conspired to make up stories about Joe Miller," said Palin on Fox News. "We have the tape, [Host] Chris [Wallace], that proves it and I can't wait till it busts out all over the nation."
Note: KTVA is owned by the Alaska broadcasting company, not CBS. No CBS staffers were involved and CBS has no knowledge of and no comment on these allegations.
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KTVA's general manager Jerry Bever says, "While the recording is real, the allegations are untrue." He says the reporters were discussing "what-if" scenarios.
"The recording was the result of a cell phone not being hung up after a call was placed to Randy DeSoto, Joe Miller campaign spokesperson, Thursday afternoon to discuss Joe Miller's appearance on that evening's newscast. That phone call was placed near the end of a coverage planning meeting in our newsroom regarding that evening's Miller rally in downtown Anchorage. The group of KTVA news personnel was reviewing potential "what-if" scenarios, discussing the likelihood of events at the rally and how KTVA might logistically disseminate any breaking news," says Bever.
He continues, "The perception that this garbled, out-of-context recording may leave is unfortunate, but to allege that our staff was discussing or planning to create or fabricate stories regarding candidate Miller is absurd. The complete conversation was about what others might be able to do to cause disruption within the Miller campaign, not what KTVA could do."