Duke Story To Be Heavily Featured On "Evening News"
Both "Evening News" anchor Katie Couric and "Early Show" anchor Harry Smith are reporting from Raleigh, North Carolina as part of CBS News' coverage of the Duke rape case.
Video: I'm a little bit surprised so much of tonight's show is being given over to the Duke saga. This isn't a new story, after all, and the latest development – the charges being dropped – has been expected for a while now.
Still, the story certainly has cultural significance. And CBS News may feel some ownership over it in light of Ed Bradley's Peabody award winning "60 Minutes" piece, which went a long way towards swaying public opinion in favor of the accused. "60 Minutes" is certainly staying on the story: The Duke players will be featured on the show on Sunday, in an interview with Lesley Stahl.
I've posted Couric's "First Look" above – just click on the video box to watch. In it, she discusses what stories will be on the show tonight, as well as why the "Evening News" came to Raleigh.
"We're here because this really is a story that is about so many important issues in our society today," says Couric. "It's about race, it's about class, it's about the criminal justice system. And we thought it was an important opportunity for us to give more perspective, and a really thorough look at what happened here, what transpired, and why. And really to catch up with some of the key players in this whole saga."
Couric, who will be interviewing the parents of one of the accused players, notes that "we'll be spending most of the broadcast tonight focused on this story."