Tobacco Documents Online

Ii 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I0 ii 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2O 21 22 23 24 A. Right. Q. And how long were you employed at the American/Today? A. This is a real guess. Four years, three years. O. That was a full-time employment, sir? A. Yes. O- And what were your duties there A. Reporter. Q. Did you have a by-line? A. Yes. O. You worked hard news? A. Yes. O. Did you write any editorials? A. NO. O. Did you do any analysis or commentary? A. That's a difficult question. What do you mean? O. Do you do analysis or commentary now? A. Yes. O. What is that? What do you mean by that? A. Well, I do commentary. I mean, I cover events. Q. What is the distinction between commentary ..++,i,+,, , 681814't76

12 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 i0 ll 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 and hard news? A. I guess that depends on the story you are talking about. I mean, you have to be a little more specific. See, the reason I hesitated before was I didn't write a column. But if I am covering City Nall and the covering demands some judgments, I might describe that as commentary; you migh£ not. It is a very fine line. Q. In other words, in your hard news pieces, you might vent a personal judgment? Is that what you are saying? A. Well, I wouldn't vent a judgment. Q. You would write it? A. I might say, "Mayor Washington, appearing somewhat harassed by his Opposition, said today that..." I mean, that's kind of an analysis, would you agree, or a comment? It's reporting. It'S reporting, analytical reporting. O. Did you write -- A. It's reporting. O. Did you write any editorials for the Chicago American? am,.,,,. • 681814477

13 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 lO ii 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 A. No. O. Did you do a column? A. NO. O. And when you say what you did for the Chicago American was reporting, is it fair to say whether you made a comment about the subject of your article you tried to be fair? A. Always. Q. Accurate? A. Always. And even when you made a comment, you tried, to the best of your ability, to be objective? A. I don*t mean to be difficult. B0t I don't want to get stuck on the "comment" word which you are referring to. I mean, I'm always objective, yes Q. Okay. And you left the Chicago Today to go to WBBM TV as a writer in '64 or '657 A. Somewhere in there. Q. And was that as a news A. Yes. Q. Save you been employed any capacity other than in station's News Department? writer? by WBBM TV in connection with that

14 I 1 2 3 4 5 6 ? 8 . g IO II 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Ig 20 21 22 23 24 A. NO. O. And is it correct that you have been at WBBM ever since? A. No. Q. All right. Tell me when did you leave? A. I think I can tell you, if you want to know specifically, by backing up. Q. Okay. sure. A. 13 years ago would have been 197- -- O. '717 A. '75. 13 years ago, '72. 13 from '84 could be '71, too. A. A guess. Q. Your best recollection. Lawyers don't like guesses. Your best recollection. MR. KLENK: DO the best you can. Let's move Ono THE WITNESS: But I don't want to be inaccurate. BY MR. LONDON: Q. Mr, Jacobson, let me restate it because Z want you to be confident about at least one thing during this deposition. I fully understand your inability to pinpoint precise dates in your career. It is a , ,2J,,28o,, 681814479

15 4 I ( > 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I0 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 failing that I also share. So, you these dates, all I want you your best recollection. I want you to -- indeed, to and you have agreed to this -- when you look at off by a year or will understand. Do you A. Okay. again, when I ask to do is give me I have asked you at some later time this transcript and you see you are two or three, fix it and everybody understand that, sir? Best recollection? Yes, sir. A. 1969, left WBBM and went to WMAQ. Q. WM -- say again. A. MAQ. Q. And how long were you at MAQ, sir? A. TWO to three years. Q. What did you do at MAQ? A. I was a reporter and a commentator. Is MAQ a television station? A. Yes. O. And at the time you were with BBM TV from about '64 or '65 through '69 as a writer, were you an on-the-air person? A. Yes.

16 [ 1 2 3 4 5 6 ? S 9 i0 II 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 O. And were you an on-air person at A. Yes. Q. Did you have a regular show? A. I was on on a regular basis. Q. Yes, sir. That's what I mean. A. There was no Walter Jaoobson Show. I was not a featured part of a specific MAQ? show every day. O. What program were you on on a regular basis? A. The news. Q. Which news? A. Various newscasts. Q. How often toward the end, at least, of that tour of duty did you appear in a given week? A. Oh, five times out of seven. Q. And when you were at MAQ, did you write, as well as read the news? A. Yes. Q. Was that also true with respect to your prior appearances on WBBM TV? A. Yes. I wrote what I read. O. Just so we are clear, does that refer to both WBBM TV '64 through '69, as well as MAQ '69 to

17 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 i0 Ii 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 i9 2O 21 22 23 24 '71 or '27 ~. Yes, Q, You wrote what you read? A. X wrote what I read. O. SO If you Head it, it meant that you wrote it? A. Right. Q. NOW, sir, you said to me that for MAQ you weze a reporter and a commentator? A. Right. Could you please explain to me what you mean by the distinction between those two words? A, AS a reporter, I was assigned to cover City Hall, as an example. And I stood in front of the City council chambers and reported events as they played themselves out. As a commentator, I was given the latitude to interpret events. 5. Would it be correct to describe your role as a reporter as one involving hard newsg A. Yes. O. And would it be correct to say that your role as a commentator was not just reporting hard news?

18 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 I0 II 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 2O 21 22 23 24 A. Not reporting hard news, that's correct. Q. All right, sir. When you -- A. It included reporting hard news. O- I take it you reported hard news and you commented about it? A. Okay. O- YOU analyzed it, is that fair? A. Yes. Q. So you were engaged in news analysis? A. Yes. O. And when you did that, did you make efforts that your viewers understood that you were engaging in comment or analysis? A° Yes. Q. So that you took steps to assure that your viewers wouldn't confuse Walter Jacobson, the reporter, with Walter Jacobson, the commentator? A. Right. Q. What steps did you take so that they would know when you were doing one thing and when you were doing another? A. I was introduced as a commentator and have my signature over my face on the screen -- over my chest on the screen. Underneath my signature, it +e+,, , 681814483

b - 19 4' 1 2 3 4 5 6 ? 8 9 I0 Ii 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 says, "Perspective." It is always introduced as Walter's Perspective. It is always followed specifically by a commercial, and it i8 performed at a place other than the anchor desk. Q. I think we have a little confusion, but it may be mine. So let me go back. I take it that the answer that you just gave me was with respect to your current employment -- A. Right. Q. -- is that right? A. Right. Q, Now, let me back up, sir, and ask you a question about your employment with WMAQ. When you were at MAQ and you did reporting and -- A. Comment, Q. -- and commenting, what steps, if any, did you or the station take then to advise the viewer that you were performing one role or the other? A. Similarily introduced as a commentator and similarily performing from a place other than the anchor desk. And, perhaps, but I'm not positive

2O ( i 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 l? 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 A. 0. A. Q. station A. 0. A. identified Q. Now, sir, read station editorials? A. NO, O. Write them? A. NO, Participate in ---- ND. as commentator by a word on the screen. did you when you were at MAQ -- editorials in any way? No. DO you in your current job write editorials? NO. Do you read station editorials? NO. Q. DO you have anything to do with station editorials? A. Nothing. Q. That is the prerogative of whom in rout organization? A. General manager. O. Is that Mr. Cummings? A. Yes. MR. KLENK: Let's go off the recor~ for