Since taking to the air in 1980 I have watched CNN through thick and thin. I watched CNN when President Reagan was shot. I knew that the United States was under attack by terrorists on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, as I looked on in horror as United Flight 175 crashed into the World Trade Center’s South Tower. During a number of times working as a reporter, I knew I better start heading toward the office after watching CNN: The start of the Iraq War, to name one.
ED HENRY: On AIG, why did you wait — why did you wait days to come out and express that outrage? It seems like the action is coming out of New York and the Attorney General’s Office. It took you days to come public with Secretary Geithner and say, look, we’re outraged. Why did it take so long?
THE PRESIDENT: It took us a couple of days because I like to know what I’m talking about before I speak, you know? (Laughter.)
To make matters even more ridiculous, Henry wrote a blow-by-blow account of his encounter on the CNN Web site the next day. It was thoroughly self-serving and elicited an Ed Henry self-congratulations. Too bad Henry either didn’t know or didn’t care that many of the viewing public saw Obama’s retort as a put-down of the correspondent’s whiny follow-up.
The conservatives, of course, will continue to say until their last breath that CNN is liberal, left-leaning and an Obama-Democratic National Committee propaganda machine. One friend of mine, who is very conservative, often sends out e-mails titled: “You won’t see this on CNN” when some instance of liberal or progressive wrong-doing (at least in his mind) is shown on Fox (Faux) News or the like.
But if watch CNN closely you will see that their only agenda is scoring a big “gotcha” scoop and since the Dems are in control they happen to be the closest and most visible target.
Hey, I like competition and enjoyed beating other media when I worked in the business. But that wasn’t the only reason for my existence. CNN needs some perspective.
I suppose part of the problem is that the other cable channels have staked out claims in their political outlook. Fox is, of course, decidedly right-wing in its talk shows but is even that way in much of their newscasts. MSNBC is largely liberal but often entertaining. CNBC, well, I don’t watch them. So I guess that is why CNN seemingly plods down the middle but is out to get whomever it can sink along the way.
So far, I still think CNN is the best at the “real” breaking news story. I draw a distinction between legitimate breaking news and the “Just In” or “Breaking News” graphic which CNN displays way too often for something that way too distant from a real breaking story. It is getting to be ridiculous and could result in a “Boy Cries Wolf” syndrome some day if it is not brought under control. That is not just a criticism leveled at CNN but at all TV news networks. Nonetheless, I stayed up very late watching the CNN coverage of the Colgan Air crash in Buffalo, N.Y., in February.
While I still like a lot of CNN’s correspondents some, like the network itself, are annoying. I have to say as well that many of their anchors get on my nerves. But with some screwball optimism which comes from where I have not clue, I keep waiting for the leopard to change its spots. I am not one of your world-class optimists though I could probably play one on TV.