‘60 Minutes’ plans disclaimer

Blindsided by a controversy over its corporate ties to the publisher of Richard Clarke’s book, “60 Minutes” has promised that it will not happen again. So when it reports Sunday on Bob Woodward’s book “Plan of Attack,” “60 Minutes” will say that publisher Simon & Schuster and CBS are both owned by Viacom. When that wasn’t said during the March 21 report on Clarke’s “Against All Enemies,” published by Simon & Schuster subsidiary Free Press, it provided fuel for Clarke’s critics. A week later, correspondent Lesley Stahl called it an oversight. “If you’re looking to deflect attention from the content of what was in the Clarke piece, this was a good way to do it,” said “60 Minutes” executive editor Josh Howard.

From Associated Press