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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Cbs Cancels Cosby Interview

Los Angeles Times

CBS decided to cancel a “60 Minutes” piece on Bill Cosby this weekend because of concern that the network appeared to be exploiting the tragedy surrounding the slaying of his son, the president of the news division said Friday.

After Cosby gave CBS news anchor Dan Rather an exclusive interview Sunday, the first since his son, Ennis, was fatally shot in Los Angeles Jan. 16, the network aired portions of it on Monday’s “CBS This Morning” and the “CBS Evening News,” then planned to air a piece on Sunday’s “60 Minutes.” In the interview, Cosby talked about the slaying and revealed that he had had an extra-marital affair more than 20 years ago.

“After our initial reports on CBS, this thing became a media-feeding frenzy, with tabloid newspapers and TV shows picking up the most sensational aspects of the story,” CBS News President Andrew Heyward said.

“In the atmosphere that developed, we were sensitive to criticisms that we were holding off airing the rest of the conversation until ‘60 Minutes’ just to boost ratings.”