Catherine Herridge, a respected Washington correspondent for CBS News, was controversially ousted from the network in February amid a high-profile legal case where she risks being held in contempt for protecting a source.
The irony is that CBS News president Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews, who approved Herridge’s firing, will receive a First Amendment award next month for her commitment to journalism.
“The RTDNA must be tone deaf to give Ingrid Ciprian-Matthews and CBS News an award for the First Amendment,” one journalist noted. “It tarnishes the whole meaning of the award.”
Herridge had pursued stories unwelcome to Democrats, and sources say her firing could be retaliatory as she sparked a 2021 investigation into claims of favoritism and discrimination against Ciprian-Matthews.
“The Foundation selected Ciprián-Matthews for her commitment to excellent and ethical journalism, especially at a time when the stakes are so high,” president Dan Shelley said. “Her leadership during some of the most challenging news stories in American history is a testament to the power of journalism.”
“This restructuring does not in any way reflect on or diminish Ingrid’s well-deserved and outstanding journalistic record,” a rep for CBS News said, who called the new leader “a highly regarded executive with decades of experience upholding the highest values of journalism.”
“Ms. Herridge was one of more than 700 people impacted on Feb. 13 at Paramount and dozens more from other news organizations enduring mass layoffs in Washington in the last few months including the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, Vice, Vox, the Messenger and more,” the CBS News rep added.
The House Judiciary Committee is now investigating Herridge’s termination and CBS’ handling of her files.
The revelation comes as Ciprian-Matthews, once investigated, remains the only key figure left at CBS from the events involving Herridge and colleague Jeff Pegues.
“She was pursuing stories that were unwelcomed by the Biden White House and many Democratic powerhouses, including the Hur report on Joe Biden’s diminished mental capacity, the Biden corruption scandal and the Hunter Biden laptop,” attorney Jonathan Turley said.