The producers of the Face to Face with Connie Chung story were more interested in garnering impressive ratings both for that episode and for follow-up episodes than in presenting a balanced and responsible point of view. By including interviews with women who were convinced that the breast implants caused physical problems, the program created an atmosphere of hysteria among women who had not had any physical symptoms, but who now anticipated that they might due to information they received on the broadcast. In addition, by not including interviews with women who were satisfied with their implants, or interviews with doctors who considered them safe, the program acted irresponsibly and against the interests of the public. In fact, given that the producers conducted interviews which would have provided a balanced perspective of the issue, one must wonder why the program opted instead for the more sensational, but less responsible, one-sided approach if not for the ratings that it would generate.
Once the story aired, there were several options available to Dow Corning. One of the options, which the company pursued, was to present its side of the story in a paid advertisement aired during the rebroadcast of the show. Although CBS affiliates initially agreed to air the commercial, they pulled the promotional piece only hours before airtime citing possible equal access time problems. At this point, the company should have recognized that it was in a significantly poor position and that CBS appeared to be acting irresponsibly (where were the equal access problems with regard to the initial report?). The company could have sought legal remedy at this point in the courts by suing CBS and the program itself for defamation. This is a strategy which has been pursued with some success by individual celebrities against the so-called tabloid media (generally print media). By taking the network, its affiliates and the program into court ...