The CBS <em>Sunday Morning</em> profile of Lynne Cheney

The CBS Sunday Morning profile of Lynne Cheney last weekend, reported on here by the Times, does not present the frequent problem of an "appearance of conflict of interest" about which we hear so much in media circles. It presents a literal conflict of interest; one that was easily avoidable by CBS, which either just couldn't be bothered or wanted to curry favor with the Cheneys and so ignored it. The correspondent, Rita Braver, did inform viewers that her husband, the Washington lawyer Robert B. Barnett, had represented Ms. Cheney in her publishing deal. And it's true that they do not stand to profit monetarily from the book's sales. But neither of these factors addresses the real point. Bob Barnett is in a market with other agents to represent high-profile Washington clients. Those clients are going to have a right to conclude that not only can Mr. Barnett negotiate a good deal for them, he can also provide an entry to a friendly interview on a key morning program. I'm not saying Barnett would ever say this or even imply it; I know him slightly and have no reason to doubt his integrity. But it's a natural conclusion to draw and one that will immeasurably help him in his competition for clients. And the CBS argument that Ms. Braver "was the best person" for the interview, well, I don't even know what that means. But NPR had enough integrity to refuse to try it when Bush and company tried to pick their own interviewer, Juan Williams, a couple of weeks ago. And to the degree that CBS takes its reputation as a news organization seriously, it's got proverbial egg all over its face. Too bad there's no on-air ombudsman for the network, or any network, alas ...

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