4th CBS exec ousted over story

The final CBS News executive asked to resign for his role in the network’s discredited report on President Bush’s military service reached a settlement with CBS and quit Tuesday.

Josh Howard was executive producer of the “60 Minutes Wednesday” broadcast in which the Sept. 8, 2004, report aired. An independent panel later concluded that documents used to question Bush’s National Guard service could not be verified.

Three others were ousted for their roles in the story. Mary Murphy, Howard’s deputy, and Betsy West, former CBS News senior vice president of prime time, both resigned earlier. Mary Mapes, the report’s producer, was fired. It was announced Tuesday that she’s writing a book titled “The Other Side of the Story” that will be published this fall.

Tuesday’s agreement ends any possibility of a wrongful termination lawsuit, which had been looming since top CBS executive Leslie Moonves asked for Howard’s resignation Jan. 10. It was in response to the review of the story by former U.S. Atty. Gen. Richard Thornburgh and former Associated Press chief executive Louis D. Boccardi.

Howard, a 23-year veteran at CBS, has gotten job inquiries from other news organizations and expects to remain in the news business, said his lawyer, Benjamin Brafman.