New York, June 17: CBS News is using the lure of a movie, television and book deal to beat rivals to an interview with private Jessica Lynch - hailed as a hero since her dramatic rescue from an Iraqi hospital. Lynch, 20, has been courted by all the major US networks, but excerpts of letters published yesterday in the New York times show that CBS and its parent company Viacom have upped the ante by holding out the prospect of far more than just a TV documentary special.
The letters to Lynch's family and her military representatives mention the possibility of a made-for-TV film produced by the CBS movie division, a book deal with Simon and Schuster and several MTV projects -- all under the Viacom umbrella.
"From the distinguished reporting of CBS News to the youthful reach of MTV, we believe this is a unique combination of projects that will do justice to Jessica's inspiring story," Betsy West, a CBS senior vice president, said in one of the letters.
The package has raised further questions over the independence of news divisions owned by corporate giants with interests in a host of other media.
The letters said Lynch's story would be "the highest priority" for the CBS movie division, while publisher Simon and Schuster was "extremely interested" in discussing the possibilities of a book.
In a statement, CBS News rejected suggestions that it was compromising its independence or journalistic standards.
Bureau Report