Petrelis Files

CBS News: No Transcript of Our Meeting w/Condi Rice

To: publiceye@cbs.com

Hello Public Eye Editors at CBS News:

I'm a media consumer who thinks there isn't nearly enough transparency and I'm always on the prowl for more ways to increase media transparency, especially when it involves Bush administration officials.

Earlier this week, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice sat down with the CBS Editorial Board and the CBS News wrote up a story about her meeting with your colleagues. (Source: CBS News.)

However, the story failed to link to or mention that a full transcript of the meeting is posted on the web. No, not on the CBS News site, but on the State Department site.

You'll find the transcript here, courtesy of the U.S. government: What Secretary Rice Has Been Saying Lately.

My questions for the Public Eye are these: Why is CBS News so coy about informing its audience that the transcript exists? Why not create a page on your site with the full transcript? Barring that, how about linking to the State Department page where the transcript have been posted all week?

A prompt reply is requested and appreciated.

Regards,
Michael Petrelis
San Francisco, CA