CBS News President Andrew Heyward has accused CBS News
correspondent Roberta Baskin of "reckless and irresponsible"
behavior after she declared that the network had "derailed
her attempts to investigate Nike because of concern that it
might affect the sneaker company's decision to sponsor CBS's
broadcast of the Winter Olympics," according to Howard Kurtz
of the WASHINGTON POST. Baskin had sent a two-page letter
to CBS execs saying she was "dismayed and embarrassed" at
CBS News staffers wearing Nike-logoed jackets. She charged
that "months after" her '96 piece on working conditions at
Nike-contracted factories in Vietnam, Heyward "vetoed a
summer rebroadcast of the report." Baskin claims it had to
do with the relationship between the two companies for the
Nagano Games. Heyward wrote: "There is no connection
whatsoever -- NONE -- between Nike's sponsorship of the
Olympic Games or any other CBS programs it might sponsor and
CBS News coverage of the Nike story." Later, Heyward said
they didn't re-air Baskin's Nike report because he said the
original version was "thin" and that "we weren't happy, it
was difficult to bring to air." Nike Dir of PR Lee
Weinstein said it was "completely untrue" that Nike tried to
put any pressure on CBS News, adding that Baskin's "bias is
well known" (Howard Kurtz, WASHINGTON POST, 2/11).
NO JACKET REQUIRED: CBS News staffers have stopped
using the Nike-logoed apparel, and Heyward said, "It's
important for us not to wear an identifiable logo, but I
certainly don't have any problem with Sports doing it."
Nike's Weinstein said while the package was with CBS Sports,
Nike feels "there is very much a double standard at work
here," citing the presence of other logos on network
personnel in previous Games (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 2/11).
