Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 6/24/83; site gargoyle.UChicago.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!ihnp4!gargoyle!carnes From: carnes@gargoyle.UChicago.UUCP (Richard Carnes) Newsgroups: net.politics Subject: Good evening. This is the CBS Evening News, Jesse Helms reporting. Message-ID: <295@gargoyle.UChicago.UUCP> Date: Fri, 11-Jan-85 14:58:42 EST Article-I.D.: gargoyle.295 Posted: Fri Jan 11 14:58:42 1985 Date-Received: Sat, 12-Jan-85 06:25:48 EST Organization: U. Chicago - Computer Science Lines: 52 News item from the NYT, Jan. 11, 1985 (article by Sally Bedell Smith): Senator Jesse Helms is helping to organize an effort by conservative investors to buy sufficient stock in CBS to change what the North Carolina Republican says is the "liberal bias" in coverage by CBS News of "political events, personages and views." The action by Senator Helms, taken in conjunction with a new group called Fairness in Media, was disclosed in papers filed by the group yesterday with the Securities and Exchange Commission. According to the documents, Senator Helms sent letters to conservatives around the country urging them to buy shares in CBS in order to influence the company. The papers specified that once Fairness in Media had gathered enough new shareholders from its letter, "they intend to request a meeting with the company to obtain management's views concerning their proposal that the company end what F.I.M. believes to be its liberal bias in news reporting and editorial policies." In the event that CBS management disregards or rejects their proposals, the group may try to gain control of the company, the documents said. Mary Boies, CBS vice president for corporate information, said the company would not comment on the matter until it "has studied the documents filed with the S.E.C." --[omissions]-- A letter spelling out the goals of the campaign and signed by Senator Helms was earlier disclosed by The News and Observer of Raleigh, N.C. That version of the letter urged one million conservatives to participate in the campaign to buy CBS stock and "become Dan Rather's boss." Mr. Rather is the anchor of "The CBS Evening News." CBS officials said there are 29.7 million shares of CBS stock held by about 24,000 shareholders. William S. Paley, the former CBS chairman, is the largest individual stockholder, with 6.55 percent. The price of a share of CBS stock closed yesterday at $73.875. All Americans can now breathe a sigh of relief that the era of biased news reporting is coming to an end. Like most conservatives, Sen. Helms knows where the real power is, and does not make the common mistake of assuming that the liberal reporters and editors at CBS have the ultimate control over what is broadcast. He correctly concentrates on buying up the company's stock. Back to the tube: "...In a speech before the American Legion today, our great President, Ronald Reagan, pointed out that--" Click. Richard Carnes, ihnp4!gargoyle!carnes Chairman, Jesse Helms for President of Paraguay Committee