Industry-Provided Depositions
Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation vs. Walter Jacobson and CBS, Inc., Deposition of Walter Jacobson
Abstract
Deposition statement of Walter Johnson, reporter and commentator from WBBM, argues the philosophies and professional responsibilities for a reporter, includes providing fair and accurate information. Questions whether it is essential to give sense of time and place to the viewer.Presents CBS's standards for reporting, asks if Michael Podutzsky produced an article or script for his article perspective, mentions the confidential FTC report, the pot, wine, beer, sex marketing strategy.
Fields
- Notes
Original document code was 496.
- Minor Subject
- Advertising and Marketing -research
- Advertising and Marketing -strategy
- Federal Trade Commission (FTC)
- Legal Issues -litigation
- Public Relations
- Advertising and Marketing -strategy
- Site
- Minnesota litigation
- Author
- Jacobson, WalterPlaintiff
- Wolfe, Rosenberg and Associates Inc
- Type
- Legal- Deposition Statement
- Non-Industry Publication
- Major Subject
- Advertising and Marketing
- Legal Issues
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IN
THE UNITED STATEN DISTRICT COURT
NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS
EASTERN DIVISION
BROWN & WILLIAMSON TOBACCO
CORPORATION,
VS*
Plalntiff,
WALTER JACOBSON and
CBS, INC.,
Defendants.
No. 82 C 1648
The deposition of WALTER JACOBSON, called
by the Plaintiff for examination, taken pursuant to
the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure of the United
States District Courts pertaining to the taking of
depositions, taken before JULIE ANN CONROY, a Notary
Public within and for the County of Cook, State of
Illinois, and a Certified Shorthand Reporter of said
state, at Suite 3000, One IBM Plaza, Chicago,
Ill•inois, on the 12th day of July, A.D. 1984, at
9:30 a.m.
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PRESENT:
MESSRS. PAUL, WEISS, RIFKIND,
WHARTON & GARRISON,
(345 Park Avenue,
New York, New York I0~54). by~
HE. MARTIN LONDON,
appeared on behalf of the
MESSRS. REUBEN & PROCTOR,
(19 South LaSalle Street,
Chicago, Illinois 60603),
MR. JAMES A. KLENK,
by=
Plaintiff;
-and-
CBS, 1NC.,
(51 West 52nd Street,
New York, New York 10019),
MR. DOUGLAS P. JACOBS,
by=
appeared on behalf of the Defendants.
ALSO PRESENT:
MR. GARY CUMMINGS.
REPORTED BY: JULIE ANN CONROY, C.S.E.
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3 WALTER JACOBEON
4 By Mr. London
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10 Jacobson Deposition
Exhibit
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Nos. 2, 3, and 4
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MR. LONDON: Will you swear the witness,
please?
(WHEREUPON, the witness was duly
sworn.)
WALTER JACOBSON,
called as a witness herein, having been
sworn, was examined and testified as
DIRECT EXAMINATION
BY MR. LONDON:
first duly
follows:
Q. Mr. Jacobson, may we have your home
address, please7
A. 552 West Belden.
Q. And you are employed by whom, sir?
A. WBBM TV.
Q. DO you have any other employers?
A. WBBM Radio.
Q. DO you have any other employers7
A. NO.
Q- HOW long have you been employed by
WDBM TV?
A. I would say approximately 14 years on
and off.
Q. Why don't we work back the other way.
Could you tell me your educational
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background, please?
A. From where; high school?
Q. High school, college, anything after
that.
A. New Trier Township High School, Winnetka,
Illinois. Grinnell College, Grinnell, Iowa.
Q. A degree, sir?
A. Bachelor's degree in political science.
Q. When was that, sir?
A. 1955. These are all approximate. Okay?
Q. Yes, sir.
A. 1955, Bachelor's degree in political
science.
degree from Columbia
that?
you study or --
Masterls
O. When was
A. 1956.
What did
A. Something's wrong here.
Take your time.
A. I'm sorry. 1955
University.
is when I graduated from
high school. 1959 is when I graduated from Grinnell
1960 was when X got my Master's degree at Columbia.
One year CSS fellowship without a degree
at the East Asian Institute at Columbia.
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O. And what did you study during your
Master's degree at Columbia in 19607
A. Journalism.
Is that the Columbia School of
Journalism?
A. Yes.
Q, New York City?
A. Yes.
Q. And the CBS fellowship,
describe that, please?
A. How do you mean?
Q. Were you at school?
A. I lived in New Jersey
school every day.
Q. Which school?
could you
and I went to
A. Columbia University. I took a variety
of courses in political science, I was not
matriculated.
And I took a year's
personal tutoring in Chinese,
Q. When you say it was
does that mean you had some
CBS to do those studies?
A. For nine months I
worth of
at which I was --
a CBS fellowship, •
sort of a grant from
took a leave from here,
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that
as a
for
Q. Then what did you do when you finished
nine-month study at Columbia in 19617
A. I came back to Chicago and went to work
-- continued my work as a reporter for WBBM.
Then I have missed something.
When did you start working as a reporter
WBBM? Take your time.
A. Do you know what's wrong here?
O. What's wrong?
A. Again --
MR. KLENK: He hasn't asked you a question.
THE WITNESS: He didn't?
MR.
KLENK: Can you tell him when you
started working?
I will be glad to get his starting
date and give it to you.
BY MR. LONDON:
Q. If you want to explain something, go
right ahead.
A. I just want to get my dates right. I
didn't say that 1961 was the year I went on the
fellowship. You asked me what my education was.
My chronological education was as you put it down.
Later on, I went back as a fellow. So
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between the time I graduated from Columbia School
of Journalism and the fellowship, there were years
during which I was a --
Q. You graduated from -- let's see if we
have At now -- from Columbia School of Journalism.
And I understand that you are a little uncertain
about these dates.
Would you Just do this for me --
A. Sure.
Q. -- if you later realize that any one
of these dates are off, would you let me know?
A. I said initially that they are
approximate.
0. But if you later find out you are off,
would you let me know?
A. Sure.
O. As you best recall it now, you graduated
with a Master's from the Columbia School of
Journalism An 1960, is that correct?
A. Yes.
Q. What did you do then?
A. I then went to Europe for
Q. To study?
A. NO. TO travel.
six months.
two+.,'/+,
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O. What then?
A. I returned to Chicago and was
United Press International.
g. This would be sometime in 1961, sir?
A. 1961, I think.
From there -- now, I'm lost on the --
have Just been
O. You are in 1961 and you
employed by UPI.
A. Right, at which time, I
stringer at Time Magazine.
employed
also was a
From there -- and I don't know the dates
from there, I went to Chicago's American,
by
now --
which became Chicago Today.
From there, I went to WBBM TV as a writer.
Approximately 1964 or '5, I'm not sure --
(WHEREUPON, Mr. Douglas P. Jacobs
entered the deposition proceedings.)
(WHEREUPON, there was a short
interruption.
~Y MR. LONDON:
Q. All right, sir. Approximately
did you work at UPI?
A° This is a guess. A year.
Q. What were your duties?
how long
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A. Reporter.
Q. And did you do hard news?
A. Yes, I did hard news.
Q, Did yo~ do commentary, as
A. No, sir.
Q. Just hard news?
A. Yes.
O. And you did hard news for
Magazine?
A. Basically research
And about how long
as a researcher?
A. That was a
Q. stringer.
A. I
at UPI, but
well?
Time, Time
for Time Magazine.
did you work for Time
part-time stringer.
HOW long was that?
think that was during the time I
I'm inexact about that, as well.
Q. Approximately a
A. Approximately a
And then you went
A. Yes.
Q. What is that?
year, more or less?
year, more or less,
was
to Chicago's American?
A. It was an afternoon daily.
O. And the name was thereafter
Chicago Today?
changed to
