Television is one of those peculiar institutions (professional sports is another) where the underlings often wield more clout than their bosses. The faces onscreen, after all, are what count for the audience, not the faceless executives who ostensibly hire and fire them. David Burke, president of CBS News, found that out the hard way, when he suspended 60 Minutes commentator Andy Rooney last month for allegedly making offensive remarks about blacks and homosexuals. The uproar over the suspension was instant and unrelenting. Thousands of complaints from viewers poured in to CBS. Press critics chided the network for trampling on Rooney's free-speech...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
