- Catherine Herridge was fired from CBS News in layoffs earlier this month
- SAG-AFTRA, CBS workers union, accuses company of seizing its ratings
- CBS insists it didn’t review its ratings and is willing to return them
CBS News has fired a high-profile reporter who covered investigations into the Biden family, and the network is accused of seizing her personal notes, which her union calls “completely inappropriate” and “highly unusual.”
Catherine Herridge, a veteran journalist covering national security and intelligence, was among hundreds of CBS employees who were laid off by parent company Paramount last week.
In a statement released Thursday, SAG-AFTRA, the union representing CBS employees, said it “strongly condemns CBS News’ decision to seize Catherine Herridge’s reporter notes and research from its office, including confidential source information.
“This action is deeply concerning to the union because it sets a dangerous precedent for all media workers and threatens the very foundation of the First Amendment,” the statement added.
However, CBS denied allegations that it improperly seized Herridge’s private files and told DailyMail.com that it planned to return the documents to him.
Catherine Herridge, a veteran journalist covering national security and intelligence, was among the CBS News employees fired last week.
Herridge had recently covered the House impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden and the criminal charges against Hunter Biden.
“Catherine’s personal belongings were delivered to her home a week ago and we are ready to pack the rest of her files immediately on her behalf – with her representative present as she requested,” said a CBS News spokesperson.
“We respected her request not to review the files and, out of concern for source confidentiality, the office she occupied has remained secure since her departure,” CBS said.
The network said it was “still awaiting a response” from Herridge or his representative to arrange the transfer of the files to the reporter.
Herridge had recently covered the House impeachment inquiry into President Joe Biden, special counsel Robert Hur’s report on his handling of classified materials and the criminal charges against Hunter Biden.
Her inclusion in the recent layoffs intrigued some industry observers, as she regularly broke news and landed scoops for CBS.
Herridge has not publicly commented on his firing except to share the union statement about the topic on X.
“It is completely inappropriate for an employer to fire a journalist and take the highly unusual step of retaining and searching the journalist’s records, including the source’s identification and confidential information,” the union said.
“The retention of a media professional’s reporting materials by his or her former employer constitutes a serious departure from traditional practices that support the immediate return of reporting materials,” the union added.
Herridge authenticated Hunter Biden’s abandoned laptop in November 2022
Separately, Herridge has been in the middle of a high-profile legal battle over her refusal to reveal the sources of articles she wrote in 2017.
Citing sources, the New York Post claimed that Herridge pursued a story related to Hunter Biden’s abandoned laptop and that she “encountered obstacles” from management regarding her coverage of the first son.
Herridge authenticated the laptop, which the Post first reported on in October 2020, in November 2022.
Separately, Herridge has been in the middle of a high-profile legal battle over her refusal to reveal the sources of articles she wrote in 2017.
A judge has asked him to reveal sources used in a series of articles about a Chinese-American scientist who was the subject of an FBI investigation but was never accused of wrongdoing.
Herridge could face fines of up to $5,000 per day if she refuses to be interviewed under oath for this case.
Fox News, where she worked at the time, covered her legal costs in the case.
