The "Evening News" Predicts AG's Ouster
"Tonight, he's on his way out. Sources tell CBS News it's just a matter of time now before the Attorney General gets fired."
After the opening, Couric reiterated that "sources are telling CBS News tonight that…the president will soon be forced to let his longtime friend and colleague go."
In his report on the matter, White House correspondent Jim Axelrod said "sources also say it is now inevitable Gonzales will be fired."
Over the weekend, Howard Kurtz, citing Axelrod's report, asked this: "Should journalists be predicting that Gonzales might go, based on a single or two unnamed sources?"
I talked to Axelrod about his report. Was he concerned, I wondered, about basing the report on anonymous sources that could have ulterior motives? After all, a high-profile report such as this could increase pressure on the attorney general or be used by interested parties for political cover.
"Absolutely," said Axelrod. "Those are very important concerns to have. You can't ignore that. But if the same sources have been very supportive of the president and the administration in the past, if these are sources that have made arguments that what the administration is doing is appropriate on other issues, it raises your flag."
Axelrod stressed that his comments apply only to his piece, and not to the way the story was addressed elsewhere in the broadcast. I've reached out to "Evening News" Executive Producer Rick Kaplan to discuss the issue, and will update this post if and when I hear from him.
When it comes to something like this, Axelrod said, "you never take one source and report on that – it has to be double sourced at least."
"All I'm doing is telling you what they're saying inside," he added. "I'm reporting what the sense is out of the White House."