NEW YORK, April 11 The producer who wove The Wall Street Journal commentary into CBS anchor Katie Couric's "Katie's Notebook" was fired, New York-based CBS News said. "Katie's Notebook" is distributed to CBS television and radio stations, and posted on the news division ' s Web site. Spokeswoman Sandy Genelius said it was common for the first-person commentaries to be developed by staffers without Couric's involvement in the writing, The Washington Post said Wednesday. Couric participates in topic selection.
An editor's note posted online and distributed to CBS stations said "much of the material" in Couric ' s commentary about getting her first library card came from Journal columnist Jeffrey Zaslow, "and we should have acknowledged that at the top of our piece. We offer our sincere apologies for the omission." Couric "was horrified," Genelius said. "We all were." Genelius, who would not name the dismissed producer, said CBS responded to a letter from the Journal.
Zaslow said CBS has "been very gracious and apologetic, and we at the Journal appreciate it."
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