Update: CBS has an official non-statement statement on the clip through a CBS News spokesperson: “It must be a slow news day for this video to be getting so much attention.” We’re hearing from other sourcing that CBS isn’t disputing that this is Couric in an off-air setting, and that they won’t pursue how it got out.  Video: Couric makes fun of Palin while taping before 2008 convention 
 
 posted at 2:15 pm on August 4, 2010 by Ed Morrissey 
 
 Via C4P and The College Press, the video of the day on the right shows Katie Couric taping some promo spots for CBS News coverage of the Republican convention in 2008 on the day that John McCain announced his selection of Sarah Palin as running mate. It shows some tantalizing hints of Couric’s attitude toward the Governor--when talking about first Trig, then Track, Couric says “where the hell do they get these [names]?...” At that point the producer running the sound board shut off the sound because he or she didn’t want to have Couric’s disdainful and contemptuous view of Governor Palin’s children captured on even an internal CBS tape that they never expected would see the light of day. This video also shows Couric taking a shot at female basketball players and at Governor Palin’s hometown, one of the fastest growing areas in the country, and the fifth largest city in Alaska.There’s a larger story here, of course.It’s not just what was said by Couric in her discussion of Governor Palin, but also the way CBS framed the narrative of Governor Palin’s life in their story. We don’t even need to see Couric’s snarky comment about Governor Palin’s children to know that CBS News and Couric were not interested in covering who Sarah Palin was or what her qualifications were, but rather in caricaturing her to influence the election in favor of their favored candidate.As Governor Palin would say, “may the light continue to shine” to expose this sickness at the heart of our corrupt and biased mainstream media.Once again Sarah Palin has been vindicated.Ed Morissey at Hot Air has an "official non-statement statement" from CBS:Yesterday must have been a slow news day at CBS.
– Right-leaning websites such as Conservatives4Palin are jumping on a 2008 video they say shows Katie Couric "mocking" Sarah Palin. In the footage, taken the day Palin was picked to be the VP candidate, Couric struggles off air with the names of the candidate's kids. "Where the hell do they get these names," she asks after reading off "Trig" and "Track." The site also accuses Couric of being generally dismissive of Palin throughout her initial coverage, with a focus on "moose burgers and beauty pageants." Some other reactions: "The comments themselves aren’t an indictment," but the video does allow us to watch the seeds of bias get planted in Couric’s mind, "to such an extent that she felt it necessary to share them with her co-workers," writes Ed Morrissey for Hot Air. "The McCain campaign bet badly on having Palin give her first major interview to CBS News." The criticism is off base, writes Colby Hall at Mediaite. Keep in mind that Palin was virtually unknown at the time, "and regardless of where one finds his or herself on the political spectrum, Palin’s kids DO have unique names." And any other "bullet points" about Palin's life highlighted by CBS undoubtedly came from the McCain campaign. "To call this proof of her mocking Palin just falls way short of its mark." Still, it will be interesting to see if Palin seizes on the tape, notes Ben Smith at Politico. Given her "fixation" on the media in general and Couric in particular, "it would seem quite tempting."