A NEWSFLASH FOR CNN

[NanceGreggs]

A Newsflash for CNN
By Nancy Greggs

You probably haven’t noticed, but there seems to be a growing trend among people who are interested in the news – they don’t watch your network. And as slow as you are to pick up on things like that, you might have checked out your ratings recently. You see, there’s actually a connection there.

I realize I’m giving my age away, but I actually remember when CNN was the go-to network when you wanted to find out what was happening in the world. Of course, that was back in the day, before your studios were equipped with direct-feed fax machines to Karl Rove’s office.

As someone who used to be glued to your network once upon a time, I thought I’d give you a few helpful hints on how NOT to be the laughing stock of TV news journalism in future.

“Fair & Balanced News”
Before that phrase fell into disrepute, its simple meaning was delivery of the news without bias towards a political or personal agenda on the part of the newscaster or the network. It does NOT mean that if you are interviewing someone who just circumnavigated the globe in a hot-air balloon you are duty-bound to grant equal airtime to someone from The Flat Earth Society to explain how the alleged feat is a physical impossibility.

In addition, not ALL news stories are subject to the ‘balance’ issue; to whit, if you are covering yet another Republican money-laundering scandal, you need not ignore the story because you cannot find an equally guilty Democrat. Just sayin’.

“We GET IT (even if YOU don’t)!”
Never talk down to your audience. You have to try to talk UP to them, because the average viewer is more intelligent and well-informed than any of your current newscasters will ever be.

For example, when in the midst of an interview, it is not necessary for Wolf Blitzer to enlighten the audience at every turn. When a guest mentions Dick Cheney, Mr. Blitzer should refrain from interrupting with choice tidbits like: “That would be the Dick Cheney who, I will just remind the viewers, is the vice president of the United States.” Viewers who aren’t already privy to that information are not watching Wolf Blitzer; they are watching cartoons on another channel.

Giving the Iron Man the benefit of the doubt, maybe he just wants to avoid any confusion; I suppose it’s always possible that Carl Levin and Ken Mehlman are debating the latest statement issued by the OTHER Dick Cheney, the one who runs the shoeshine concession across the street from the Jefferson Memorial.

On the same note, I doubt there is a TV viewer on the face of the earth who doesn’t know what a hurricane is, so please feel free to keep your newscasters indoors, safe and dry. We already know what Jean Merserve looks like hanging onto a railing, buffeted in the wind and rain like a rag doll. So there’s no need to throw John Roberts or Daryl Kagan out there this summer; we get the picture. Of course, you just could put one of your newscasters out in the storm who will actually STAY there, thus eliminating the need for placing everyone in harm's way. Personally, I would suggest Carol Lin, because whoever coined the phrase "Too stupid to come in out of the rain" undoubtedly had her in mind.

“Six Thousand Degrees of Separation”
On the rare occasions you actually stumble onto something that qualifies as news, a simple, straightforward reporting of same is sufficient. You are not required to ‘flesh out’ a two-minute story with six hours of non-stop coverage that is tangential at best, to whit: “At this moment, a disabled jetliner is approaching O’Hare Airport as it prepares for an emergency landing. While the pilot circles for the next few hours, let’s go to our exclusive interview with a Chicago man whose cousin once worked in a factory that produces the kind of luggage that might be in the cargo hold of this very plane.”

Also, a word to the wise: When you are covering an event that may prove disastrous, such as the aforementioned plane crashing into the tarmac killing all on board, you might caution your newscasters to tone down the glee in their voices. We know that multiple fatalities can be spun into a week’s worth of audience-grabbing coverage – but a more serious tone would be advisable.

“Paging Dr. Gupta”
He’s a cutie, I will give you that much. But we really don’t need his medical opinion on every single news item, e.g. “Let’s get Sanjay out here to explain the pitfalls of toenail fungus, shall we?” And I don’t know about the rest of the population, but I wouldn’t let alleged neurosurgeon Dr. Gupta within a mile of my cranium. “I’d really LOVE to remove that brain tumor, ma’am, but I’m due back in make-up in fifteen minutes.” No thanks.

“Laundromat Syndrome”
Here’s a rule-of-thumb that is so simple, even YOUR newscasters can follow it: If it’s something that gets discussed at the local Laundromat while people are waiting for the rinse cycle to finish, it’s NOT news. “Did you hear what Angelina and Brad are going to name the new baby?” “The American Idol results – whadda ya think?” You might try replacing items like this with: “Did you hear what Bush is going to name the new law that allows corporations to dump toxic waste in reservoirs?” “The 2004 Ohio election irregularities – whadda ya think?”

Just a serving suggestion.

“Anderson, We hardly Knew Ye”
I’m sure it was inadvertent, but your coverage of the Katrina disaster was akin to actual news reporting. Anderson Cooper, apparently unable to access the daily White House Talking Points memo off the studio fax machine, was downright vitriolic in his reportage of the non-existent federal response.

So there we were, lulled into a false sense of security that FINALLY you guys had come up with an honest-to-God journalist. But then Anderson was handed his own late-night newscast, and the rest is very sad history.

Last night’s non-stop nonsense was a perfect example. His incessant babbling about a bunch of homeless guys in Miami being terrorists who were about to blow up buildings all over the continental United States (without weapons, ammunition, explosives, or even the necessary funds for a bus ticket) proved once again that Anderson is just another useless hack. It was a classic case of, “And then you go and spoil it all by saying something stupid …” And he did. Over, and over, and over.

You DO have your lighter moments, which I admit I enjoy immensely, like Howard Kurtz starting a sentence with, “Well, as a journalist myself …,” or Glen Beck’s, “Being as CNN is a news network …” God, those guys just crack me up! If they could actually sneak in some real news stories with their snappy repartee, they might give John Stewart a run for his money!

I truly hope I’ve been helpful here, guys, and if you need any more advice, please don’t hesitate to call. Only don’t call while I’m on the ‘net, please. I hate to be interrupted when I’m trying to get some NEWS.

[Cleita]

1. Good letter!

I hope someone reads it. I don't know who is funding CNN but I don't think ratings are very high on their list anymore. Maybe they are a secret arm or subsidiary of Halliburton, a company that they can launder money through. :shrug:

[cushla_machree]

113. I can't remember the last time i watched CNN

I starting watching MSNBC, but i think it was more for entertainment. Chris matthews makes me want to stab my eyes out with pencils. Hell, this post could apply to any of the other networks as well.

[MADem]

2. My sentiments, exactly! NT

[Lost-in-FL]

3. Bravo!

Was this sent to CNN? I hope you did.

[maryallen]

110. Ditto!

And I would add:

Lady Newscasters:
Skinnier does not make a wiser, more adept newsperson.
Pertinent, analytical information does.

Daryn Kagan:
Go to Anorexics Anonymous immediately!
You're wasting away to nothing.

[mod mom]

4. It's a pitiful disgrace that the fourth estate has become lackey's for the

current administration and their corporate sponsors. Thank God for the internet. It has made them irrelevant.

[rzemanfl]

5. Excellent post. n/t

[Blue Shark]

6. Three Words...

...More Jack Cafferty

[NanceGreggs]

16. To which I would respond with three more words ...

Amen! Amen! Amen!

[waiting for hope]

23. He's the only reason I watch

The "Situation Room".....the rest of it is garbage. Thanks for bringing him up and welcome to the DU!:toast:

[Donna Zen]

26. Careful

Cafferty hates the UN. But I agree, he's all there is.

[BlueCaliDem]

89. Yep. Although I like Cafferty, after watching him for months...

...he appears to me, to be a Fanatic American Libertarian.

Anyone who can't bring themselves to at least give the United Nations any credibility no matter what they do, are in effect, against any form of global peace.

Isn't that what the United Nations' primary goal is? Aside from humanitarian efforts and fighting world hunger, I mean.

[Donna Zen]

104. Cafferty v the U.N.

He often sticks to the standard, incorrect reporting when discussing the U.N., and he offers no alternative.

The U.N., as Mr. Z is want to say, is the only thing standing between bush and his desire to bomb the fuck out of everything.

Look, we created the U.N. when we were going around assembling international institutions in an effort to stop slow the rush to war. If the U.S. would use some political will, we could push for the needed reforms, and actually do something worth while. Instead we have a government that panders to the "Left Behind" crowd.

Cafferty should know better, or at least try to find out.

pssst! He also makes fun of Democrats.

[BlueCaliDem]

118. Regarding Cafferty, I agree with your post.

That he makes fun of Democrats, well, I'm secure enough in my political views to take it all in stride.

I've seen him make fun of Republicans as well.

That's why I'm in the belief he's a Libertarian, since Libertarians too hate the U.N., and that's why, though open to opposing views, I take everything he says with a pound of salt.

[Heywood J]

114. Uh, there are probably a lot of people here

who think the UN is useless. Not necessarily the concept of a united planet or humanitarian efforts, but the way it's currently set up is by no means ideal.

[BlueCaliDem]

119. The same can be said about the United States, right?

Look, nothing is "ideal", and what exactly is "ideal"?

It depends, I believe, on the persception of the individual, but we can't deny that the United Nations has kept warring nations (unfortunately, unsuccessfully with the U.S. since 2002) in sight and at the table; keeping would-be dictatorships pretty much in the light rather than allowing them to fade into the shadows where they can plot and plan the next invasion, and murder, and uproot innocents in their quest for power.

The United Nations "ideal"? Perfect? Never. But at least it makes it more complicated for war-minded nations to at least slow down in their pursuit of wars.

That, at least, should take them out of the realm of being, as you say, "useless".

[Fridays Child]

WTG!

k&r

[Old Vet]

7. Well said nancy,

Now back to FSTV or Link for real news.

[RevCheesehead]

8. I hope you really sent this to them.

And while you're at it, would you please send a copy to Dan Abrams at MSNBC?

[leftchick]

9. Did you really send this?

Please tell me you did! This is priceless! :)

[IChing]

10. nominated...once again your writings are an inspiration to what I aspire

to improve with my sardonic one liners....
I don't watch CNN unless I want to sit through commercials that tell me how I can get a hard on, drive a Cadillac, invest in lockheed, refinance my house, and cure my acid reflux.

The sponsors at CNN are very interesting.

[lovuian]

11. I don't watch the news anymore just get it from the web

it can't be trusted...

[babylonsister]

12. With your permission, we ALL need to send this to CNN! Imagine

if they got a few hundred, or thousand, copies of this? Another excellent job, Nancy!

CNN Headline News, CNN Headline News, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form1.html?33
CNN Headline News, Judy Fortin comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4b.html?21
CNN Headline News, Kathleen Kennedy comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4b.html?24
CNN Headline News, Linda Stouffer comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4b.html?75
CNN Headline News, Mike Galanos comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4b.html?28
CNN Headline News, News Segment Comments, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form5c.html?4
CNN Headline News, Renay San Miguel comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4b.html?23
CNN Headline News, Report Errors, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form6a.html?3
CNN Headline News, Robin Meade comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4b.html?20
CNN Headline News, Rudi Bakhtiar comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4b.html?27
CNN Headline News, Sophia Choi comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4b.html?25
CNN Headline News, Stephen Frazier comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4b.html?26
CNN Headline News, Thomas Roberts comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4b.html?22

CNN, Aaron Brown, [e-mail] (Editor's note: Aaron Brown is no longer with CNN.)
CNN, Aaron Brown, comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4.html?3
CNN, America Votes 2004 comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form1.html?21
CNN, American Morning, [e-mail]
CNN, Anderson Cooper 360, [e-mail]
CNN, Anderson Cooper comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4.html?5
CNN, Andrea Koppel, [e-mail]
CNN, Bill Hemmer comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4.html?10
CNN, Bill Schneider, [e-mail]
CNN, Bruce Morton, [e-mail]
CNN, Candy Crowley, [e-mail]
CNN, Carlos Watson comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4.html?81
CNN, Carol Costello comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4.html?6
CNN, Carol Lin, [e-mail]
CNN, Christiane Amanpour comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4.html?1
CNN, Crossfire, [e-mail]
CNN, Daryn Kagan comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4.html?11
CNN, Daryn Kagan, [e-mail]
CNN, David Ensor, [e-mail]
CNN, Daybreak, [e-mail]
CNN, Fredricka Whitfield comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4.html?17
CNN, Heidi Collins comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4.html?4
CNN, Howard Kurtz, [e-mail]
CNN, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form1.html?39
CNN, In The Money, [e-mail]
CNN, Inside Politics, [e-mail]
CNN, James Carville, [e-mail]
CNN, Jeanne Meserve, [e-mail]
CNN, Jeff Greenfield comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4.html?8
CNN, Jeff Greenfield, [e-mail]
CNN, Jim Walton (President of CNN News Group), [e-mail]
CNN, Judy Woodruff comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4.html?18
CNN, Judy Woodruff, [e-mail]
CNN, Kelly Wallace, [e-mail]
CNN, Kyra Phillips comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4.html?16
CNN, Kyra Phillips, [e-mail]
CNN, Larry King comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4.html?73
CNN, Live At CNN, [e-mail]
CNN, Live From, [e-mail]
CNN, Live Today, [e-mail]
CNN, Lou Dobbs comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4.html?7
CNN, Lou Dobbs, [e-mail]
CNN, Lou Dobbs, [e-mail]
CNN, Miles O'Brien comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4.html?14
CNN, Miles O'Brien, [e-mail]
CNN, Moneyline, [e-mail]
CNN, news tips, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form11.html?1
CNN, Newsnight, [e-mail]
CNN, other anchor/reporter comments, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4a.html?1
CNN, Paul Begala, [e-mail]
CNN, Paula Zahn comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4.html?19
CNN, Paula Zahn Now, [e-mail]
CNN, Paula Zahn, [e-mail]
CNN, Paula Zahn, [e-mail]
CNN, report errors, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form6a.html?2
CNN, Rick Davis (Executive Vice President - CNN News Standards and Practices), [e-mail]
CNN, Robert Novak, [e-mail]
CNN, Soledad O'Brien comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4.html?15
CNN, Tom Hannon (Political Director), [e-mail]
CNN, Tucker Carlson, [e-mail]
CNN, War in Iraq comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form1.html?19
CNN, Weekend American Morning, [e-mail]
CNN, Wolf Blitzer comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4.html?2
CNN, Wolf Blitzer, [e-mail]
CNN, Wolf Blitzer, [e-mail]

[NanceGreggs]

25. As always, my BabylonSister ...

... manages to put together the necessary information in two minutes. (Of course, CNN's research department would take months to find their own email addresses - which, I guess, is part of their problem).

Thanks, Sister!

:toast:

[rhett o rick]

58. I'll do my part. Thanks for the list. nm

[jimshoes]

13. You need to change

"to whit' to "to wit". ;) Great letter NanceGreggs.

[NanceGreggs]

17. Thanks, jimshoes!

But in this context, "to whit" is proper form, meaning to parse something down to its smallest particle or example.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

14. Brilliant!

[Nothing Without Hope]

15. All true. But it's a deliberate strategy to appeal to the Bush base

which wants to be spoon-feed the bushie opiate-du-jour. This is what happens with the media become owned by the same corporations that back the fascist junta in power. It's not just the ratings that they care about - the political agenda is a primary motivator for them. We turn off in disgust, but all too many of the audience see CNN's bushie parrotting as "proof" that black is white and the lies are all true. After all, if it's on BOTH Fox and CNN...

[NanceGreggs]

20. Agreed. The problem here being ...

... that anyone who wants their news in its 'fauxist' form is not going to bother with a lightweight amateur like CNN. They're going to go for the hard stuff (FOX). So it's a lose-lose situation for CNN -- trying to hang on to the real news hounds while simultaneously trying to appeal to the RW radicals who want their news Bushified.

[nxylas]

59. It's the old, old story

CNN saw that Fox was eating into their ratings and decided that the solution was to become more like Fox. Leaving aside the morality of what Fox News is doing (I'm sure nobody here needs me to tell them that Fox is bad), surely it's straight out of Marketing 101 that "originals always prosper, imitations always fail"?

[The Wizard]

62. CNN

lurched right in an attempt to regain some of the audience it lost to Pox (deliberate typo). This flawed strategy caused them to lose more viewers who were just looking for news, not Rove's talking points. Some thing's keeping them afloat, probably the Carlyle Group as they are making more profits than ever from the phony war CNN and other media giants shamelessly promoted without question. Most people don't get their news from cable. Not even the thirty percent who still support Bush's failed policies get their news from cable. The only TV news I watch is Countdown, The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. The rest is just Nazi propaganda. So I said Nazi. There's no nice way to say Nazi, but a Nazi by any other name is still a Nazi. Got that KKKarl "Goebbels" Rove? There's nothing wrong with these Nazis that couldn't be cured with a good beating. With pain comes awareness. Then again Karl & Co. might like a good beating administered by Frau Blucher.

[nxylas]

63. Frau Blucher

NEIIIGHHH!

[Nothing Without Hope]

99. LOL! That was such a funny movie.

Looking at the cast of characters, I'm reminded of certain individuals and events in the Bush administration...





http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/Movies/06/10/cloris.leachman

[stepnw1f]

90. So They are Willing to Only Appeal to 30% of the vote?

Boy, what a waste in investment. Such a puny minority. Maybe a minority with lot's of money?

[Nothing Without Hope]

98. Maybe it's a minority that watches more cable TV and buys more of the

stuff sold in TV ads? But do they really put making a sizable profit ABOVE promoting the bushie agenda? Look at these charts to see just how very well the rich (which would include the corporate owners) are doing under Bush43:
http://www.firedoglake.com/2006/06/23/the-long-suck/
The lower and middle classes aren't doing well, but the wealthy are getting filthy rich.

I also wonder about the extent of kickbacks, favors and/or blackmail going on between the bushies and the those who own or control the content of the public media. We know of several instances of "bought" faux news and "bought" reporters. How deep does this go? Maybe making profits the old fashioned way of the networks isn't the most lucrative or safe way to go these days.

[PCIntern]

18. K & R.

Well done...

[acmejack]

19. I hadn't watched the news on Tv until the other day.

I was trapped in the hospital (no escape, I tried) CNN and or MSNBC are absolutely mind numbing. Those places need wifi in the worst way.

[midnight]

88. Hope your doing better.

I like the graphic. It helps me understand why the country is in shambles.

[Generic Brad]

21. And Hire Keith Olbermann!

That would really entice me to watch CNN!

[me b zola]

22. Perhaps the best scouring of the media that I have read

NanceGreggs, :yourock:

[Lochloosa]

24. K/R...GREAT!

[savemefromdumbya]

27. LOL!

[KittyWampus]

28. wish I could rant like this.

:)

[datadiva]

29. Total Smack Down!

Bravo, great letter. I'm printing it out for my husband to read later after boxing. :toast:

[Oilwellian]

30. Great letter!

K&R :kick:

[fooj]

31. You rock, Nance!

Right on!!!!:bounce: :bounce: :bounce:

[Crazy Guggenheim]

32. K&R

:popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:

[Kurovski]

33. K&R.(nt)

[laundry_queen]

34. Thank you!

For putting so eloquently the thoughts that flash through my mind every time I watch that network.
Absolutely totally spot on.
CNN----> :spank: <-----You
(although I will admit actually liking to watch Anderson standing sideways in a hurricane :D)

[Iowa]

35. K&R. Brilliant!

[Maven]

36. Razor-sharp wit, a pleasure to read, and, moreover, a long overdue

critique of the play-acting and posing that has supplanted actual news coverage on CNN. You covered it all in grand style. Thanks for posting.

Edit: Rec.

[NanceGreggs]

39. Thanks, Harvey Korman ...

... and I, too, SO WANT RUSS! Imagine the impact of bringing common sense back to government?

[Hamlette]

37. bravo! kick

[Snaggletooth]

38. Sounds about right.

I really couldn't say for sure, I haven't watched broadcast news in so long. But, you definitely laid out all the reasons why I decided to kick the habit.

Snaggletooth the Crone.

[mikelewis]

40. I think they should just host the 700 Club and get it over with...

"Today, God delivered his vengeance on 24 alledgedly "innocent" Iraqi heathens when a Terrorist bomb detonated among these terrorists and their terrorist children. All in all, it was a good day for God."

Stay tuned for the Glenn Beck Show!!!

[Quantess]

41. NanceGreggs, you're terrific!

:kick:

[Duncan Grant]

42. You have become my "must read" on the internet(s).

Nancy - you never disappoint! Keep up the brilliant work.

With appreciation,
9_S_F

[Diane R]

43. This former news junkie doesn't watch anymore

Their 'news' insults my intelligence. Sadly, I get the most reliable news from Comedy Central. Only Keith Olbermann is really worth watching....and, nothing on CNN.

By the way. Just HOW long is Larry King Live going to be on the air? His leering is disgusting.

[Bluebear]

44. "Personally, I would suggest Carol Lin" . . .

:rofl:

Oh Nance, how do I love thee.

[ananda]

45. Direct feed fax machines?

Geez. I knew CNN and pretty much all media news shows were rightwing corporate and BushInc shills, but that fax machine thing really blew me away.

Not that I'm surprised....

Sue

[riona]

46. Let's hope they recover

their lost identity soon. I've all but stopped watching. Their presentation of 2 sides of every story (even when one side has absolutely no realistic argument) is downright tedious. PLEASE report the facts and save the your opinionated people's diatribes for designated time slots.

[onager]

47. CNN International is no better

I'm currently working in Egypt. The hotel has CNN International on Channel 1 (wonder how much that cost them?). Channel 2 runs the BBC.

What a difference!

On Channel 1, there's the smarmy, condescending Leslie Blitzer re-interpreting the words I just heard, as though explaining something to a 5-year old. And not a very bright 5-year-old, either.

The BBC just gives me the story, straight up.

If CNN thinks the locals are watching, they're crazy. I talk to Egyptians from all walks of life every day. None of them watch CNN. They consider it a propaganda arm of the Bush Administration.

Wonder where they got that idea?

[mwooldri]

117. We need BBC World on cable here.

Until then I'll live with BBC World Service on my XM. The timing works good with Air America - at the top of the hour switch to BBC, when the newscast is over, switch to Air America.

Besides my first experience of CNN was some cross-eyed lady being the newsanchor. That was in the days when multichannel TV was 32 extra channels, only 8 of them in English.

Mark.

[Free Mind]

48. Thank you!

Thank the heavens for this letter. Everything I would've said if I was allowed to post in my journal.

[Vektor]

52. Welcome to DU, Free Mind!

Enjoy your stay!

:hi:

[malaise]

49. Quite brilliant

I spilled my coffee laughing :D

[still_one]

50. excellent letter, but I believe it will fall on deaf ears

Since 2004 they lost me as a viewer. When I saw how they mangled Gore's position in 2000, compared to the villiage idiot, I started writing letters to their network explaining that their reporting seemed to be unfair, but 2004 was the straw that broke the camels back for me. The distortion of how they presented Dean during the primaries, and the credibility they gave to the swift puke vets silenced cnn in my house. I found that I was more informed reading my news from international sources, and getting different view points from the internet. Where I used to be a "news junkie", I was able to completely wean myself from the corporate propaganda machine.

The most important lesson I found is that where I thought I needed them to be informed, I was actually becoming less informed by watching them.

[Kali]

61. EGGZACKLY!!!

"The most important lesson I found is that where I thought I needed them to be informed, I was actually becoming less informed by watching them."


:thumbsup:

[still_one]

71. isn't that the truth. Thank goodness for the internet

[madokie]

51. Thank you, please come back again anytime and rant away

when you're ranting away you are making so much sense, something I'm definitely in need of more of.

[hootinholler]

53. Ted has said he regrets the sale of CNN...

It was okay while he owned it.

-Hoot

[im10ashus]

54. Very well said, NanceGreggs.

Did you send this to them? Please tell me yes.

:hi:

:yourock:

[electron_blue]

55. so true about Anderson.

[CrispyQ]

56. "If it’s something that gets discussed at the local Laundromat,"

"...it’s NOT news."

:rofl:


Excellent work!

[mcscajun]

75. That line IS priceless.

Absolutely, fucking priceless

[truth2power]

57. Thank you, Nance, for getting to the heart of the matter..again..

I don't have cable, so I'm spared the pain of trying to watch what you've described.

I've essentially turned my TV off. Unless there's something of note on PBS (Frontline's "The Dark Side" or that old chestnut about polar bears migrating thru Churchill, Manitoba, perhaps), I've just about given it up entirely.

I seldom even bother with Lehrer's News Hour anymore, the last holdout. The last time I tuned in, I hit the "off" button in the middle of Mark Shields making some meaningful point, which he immediately nullified with a pander to his colleague, David Brooks. Bleh!

My TV is now used mostly to view the occasional rented movie.

[rhett o rick]

60. Great post. I hope we will always have the internet as an option, but

i am not holding my breath. The freedom of the internet must be a huge thorn in the Neocon's side. They will do whatever it takes to eliminate that freedom.

[Uncle Joe]

83. I agree rett o rick, they hate us for our freedoms. n/t

[OregonBlue]

64. Super. It's so bad now I just turn it off. I'm copying and pasting

and sending to CNN with a "right on!!"

[yardwork]

65. Good for you. I wrote a similar letter during the 2004 campaign

and then followed through - I don't watch CNN anymore.

'Course, I don't have a TV anymore so I don't watch any of them. I get my news on the internet now.

[robbedvoter]

66. K&R. But it's "Stolen election" not "irregularities"

It's a FACT by now, so let's demand that it be reported as such.

[Nickster]

67. Brilliant writing. Thanks for sharing it with us. Now mail the darn thing!

CNN needs to hear messages like this from all of us.

[WatchWhatISay]

68. Every DUer should send this letter to CNN with at statement attached

at the bottom that says,"I'm John Doe and I endorse this message".

CNN is bad, bad, bad, but MSNBC (minus KO) is even worse. And they have both gotten noticeably more propagandistic lately. They are desperately trying to repair the WhiteHouse/GOP image.

And, yes, my response has been that I have had to turn it off more and more lately. I feel like I'm being indoctrinated.

Nancy has definitely written a gem here. She should try to get it out there into mainstream media.

[WatchWhatISay]

69. Just tried to send it to CNN

but when I clicked "submit" it just went to a screen that said "you are not authorized to access this page". This happened twice.
Anybody else have this problem?

[NanceGreggs]

72. YES!!!

I have been trying to send this since I wrote it last night - I get the same message!

WTF?

[Emit]

74. I would send it snail mail and cc

everyone noted in the piece.

Excellent letter, Nancy.

And, you could easily come up with alternative versions for each major network (excluding FOX, of course -- not necessary to even bother with them, IMHO).

Thanks, that was a good read.

[Quantess]

84. Snail mail it, then.

CNN will still be the same 3 days from now. A hard copy can't be instantly deleted, either.

[Joanne98]

105. That's wierd. I tried Lou Dobbs page and it did the same thing.

[samsingh]

70. excellent post

fun and informative to read.

[mcscajun]

73. K&R! You're firing on all cylinders.

Bravo!

:applause:

[stepnw1f]

76. kick (nt)

[helderheid]

77. BRILLIANT!

:applause:

[Catherine Vincent]

78. God that was beautiful!

RRKB! (Responded, recommended, kicked and bookmarked!) :-)

[corkhead]

79. You nailed it exactly. I'll bet Ted Turner doesn't even watch them anymore

[Radical Activist]

80. For celebrity gossip and sensational crime stories: Turn to CNN!

That's all they have on air since they replaced their old news director with a Republican. Sensational crime and celebrity stories is the new conservative media bias. It allows the networks to avoid accusations of bias from Republicans, but it also avoids covering the news at all. CNN is now trash. I don't watch it anymore.

[Joey Liberal]

81. I boycott CNN and I despise Fox News

So, I watch C-SPAN.

[Maestro]

82. Breaking news on CNN

Great article!

[NanceGreggs]

85. GREAT GRAPHIC!

Here's an idea for photoshop:

Same as above, but with Carol Lin on-screen. Picture in inset is also pic of Carol Lin.

On-screen headline: "Newscaster Missing From Home - Entire CNN Investigative Team BAFFLED!"

[babylonsister]

86. Just sent this to about 10 different CNN e-mails; give it a try! It

felt great! And I realize the list below isn't totally current (got it from research forum) but it's good enough to send to the people who've been there awhile.

CNN Headline News, CNN Headline News, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form1.html?33
CNN Headline News, Judy Fortin comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4b.html?21
CNN Headline News, Kathleen Kennedy comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4b.html?24
CNN Headline News, Linda Stouffer comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4b.html?75
CNN Headline News, Mike Galanos comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4b.html?28
CNN Headline News, News Segment Comments, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form5c.html?4
CNN Headline News, Renay San Miguel comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4b.html?23
CNN Headline News, Report Errors, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form6a.html?3
CNN Headline News, Robin Meade comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4b.html?20
CNN Headline News, Rudi Bakhtiar comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4b.html?27
CNN Headline News, Sophia Choi comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4b.html?25
CNN Headline News, Stephen Frazier comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4b.html?26
CNN Headline News, Thomas Roberts comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4b.html?22

CNN, Aaron Brown, [e-mail] (Editor's note: Aaron Brown is no longer with CNN.)
CNN, Aaron Brown, comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4.html?3
CNN, America Votes 2004 comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form1.html?21
CNN, American Morning, [e-mail]
CNN, Anderson Cooper 360, [e-mail]
CNN, Anderson Cooper comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4.html?5
CNN, Andrea Koppel, [e-mail]
CNN, Bill Hemmer comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4.html?10
CNN, Bill Schneider, [e-mail]
CNN, Bruce Morton, [e-mail]
CNN, Candy Crowley, [e-mail]
CNN, Carlos Watson comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4.html?81
CNN, Carol Costello comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4.html?6
CNN, Carol Lin, [e-mail]
CNN, Christiane Amanpour comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4.html?1
CNN, Crossfire, [e-mail]
CNN, Daryn Kagan comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4.html?11
CNN, Daryn Kagan, [e-mail]
CNN, David Ensor, [e-mail]
CNN, Daybreak, [e-mail]
CNN, Fredricka Whitfield comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4.html?17
CNN, Heidi Collins comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4.html?4
CNN, Howard Kurtz, [e-mail]
CNN, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form1.html?39
CNN, In The Money, [e-mail]
CNN, Inside Politics, [e-mail]
CNN, James Carville, [e-mail]
CNN, Jeanne Meserve, [e-mail]
CNN, Jeff Greenfield comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4.html?8
CNN, Jeff Greenfield, [e-mail]
CNN, Jim Walton (President of CNN News Group), [e-mail]
CNN, Judy Woodruff comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4.html?18
CNN, Judy Woodruff, [e-mail]
CNN, Kelly Wallace, [e-mail]
CNN, Kyra Phillips comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4.html?16
CNN, Kyra Phillips, [e-mail]
CNN, Larry King comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4.html?73
CNN, Live At CNN, [e-mail]
CNN, Live From, [e-mail]
CNN, Live Today, [e-mail]
CNN, Lou Dobbs comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4.html?7
CNN, Lou Dobbs, [e-mail]
CNN, Lou Dobbs, [e-mail]
CNN, Miles O'Brien comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4.html?14
CNN, Miles O'Brien, [e-mail]
CNN, Moneyline, [e-mail]
CNN, news tips, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form11.html?1
CNN, Newsnight, [e-mail]
CNN, other anchor/reporter comments, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4a.html?1
CNN, Paul Begala, [e-mail]
CNN, Paula Zahn comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4.html?19
CNN, Paula Zahn Now, [e-mail]
CNN, Paula Zahn, [e-mail]
CNN, Paula Zahn, [e-mail]
CNN, report errors, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form6a.html?2
CNN, Rick Davis (Executive Vice President - CNN News Standards and Practices), [e-mail]
CNN, Robert Novak, [e-mail]
CNN, Soledad O'Brien comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4.html?15
CNN, Tom Hannon (Political Director), [e-mail]
CNN, Tucker Carlson, [e-mail]
CNN, War in Iraq comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form1.html?19
CNN, Weekend American Morning, [e-mail]
CNN, Wolf Blitzer comment, http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form4.html?2
CNN, Wolf Blitzer, [e-mail]
CNN, Wolf Blitzer, [e-mail]

[Joanne98]

107. They're not working.

[LibertyorDeath]

87. Cheers

:yourock:

“Six Thousand Degrees of Separation”
On the rare occasions you actually stumble onto something that qualifies as news, a simple, straightforward reporting of same is sufficient. You are not required to ‘flesh out’ a two-minute story with six hours of non-stop coverage that is tangential at best, to whit: “At this moment, a disabled jetliner is approaching O’Hare Airport as it prepares for an emergency landing. While the pilot circles for the next few hours,

:rofl::rofl::rofl:
let’s go to our exclusive interview with a Chicago man whose cousin once worked in a factory that produces the kind of luggage that might be in the cargo hold of this very plane.”

[BlueJac]

91. I quit CNN a while back.......

They are media whores that repeat Bush Bull Shit...........

[Arugula Latte]

100. Me to. I'm the classic person who used to watch lots of cable news...

Wow, that seems like long ago. I now watch Food Network for information I can really use and then get my "news" info. off the web -- free from rightwing shields and spin.

[Buxtehude]

92. Thanks

I get my news from the net. It's more diverse and I can do my own editorials.

[Spazito]

93. Perfect, absolutely perfect!

I always look forward to your OPs, knowing you will not disappoint and will make your point with both humour and deadly aim as proven, yet again, by this latest one. Thanks for this, it has made my day!

[txwhitedove]

94. Bravo, Nancy. I might have thought this letter was too harsh...

until last Thursday. On the Situation Room, John McCain's somewhat toothless interview of a smirking Cheney was interrupted by the big FBI raid and arrest of the alleged domestic terrorists in Miami. They eventually got back to the pre-recorded interview but, of course, I was distracted... not buying into anything Cheney said, but distracted. Then the new FBI Director was interviewed, again updates about the raid....and my B.S. meter was going off full blast. I have looked here on DU but may have missed any write-up about these CNN interviews amidst that breaking news. Didn't it all seem too staged??? And on CNN?? So disappointing.

I too get most of the news on internet now, but have copied babylonsister's list of CNN e-mails for now and future reference.

[Jazz2006]

95. Best. Letter. Ever.

Awesome! Well done! Brava!

:toast:

[robbob]

96. My friend has CNN on in his home

I can usually last about 5 minutes before I feel my blood pressure starting to rise and I have to leave the room. Last week I lasted about 15 seconds after the channel was switched on. They were interviewing the father of the man who was beheaded in Iraq in order to get his reaction to the killing of Al Queda's #2 leader. The father was making it very clear that Bushco's policies in Iraq were in no way justified or vindicated just beacause of this one mans death, and that the situation over there is still a God-awful mess when, just like at Colbert's press secretary audition tape, the volumne was abruptly lowered on the interview. Then the camera returned to the anchor person, who intoned "Well, there's someone who's not ready to make peace...", or something like that.

Anyone else see this? Like I said, I just caught the end of the segment; for all I know they may have allowed this man to vent for much longer than what I saw, but it sure came across as first class media whoredom in all its sickening glory.

I try to avoid those clowns at all costs.

[NanceGreggs]

101. Their "let's get a reaction" segments are sometimes ...

... downright comical, too.

My two personal favourites:

A woman's car was stolen with her sleeping infant in the backseat. The car was found the next morning and the baby, unharmed, was still strapped in her carseat.

CNN interviewer after the child was returned: "Are you glad the nightmare is over?"

WERE YOU EXPECTING:
"Gee, no. Free of a need for a babysitter for the first time in months, my husband and I caught a movie, had a late dinner, and bowled a few rounds before heading home."

CNN interviewer getting reaction from mothers in neighbourhood where the DC Sniper had just struck: "Are you worried now about your children's safety?"

WERE YOU EXPECTING:
"Not at all. We've been encouraging the kids to play outdoors as much as possible, especially after dark."

[RagAss]

97. You were a News Network.....

Now you're just a bag of fucking garbage.......


Good luck with your new Fascist Format......Sleep well......

[mike_c]

102. BRAVO NANCE!

:applause: :woohoo:

[butterfly77]

103. A few more points ...

get rid of soledad o'brien and the news you display at noon should be displayed more often at least we can get a snippet of what is really going on in the world, but we all know this will be removed very soon and some other garbage will take its place.

[SOS]

106. Hammer hits nail!

Only one tiny disagreement....I want to see Daryn Kagen in a hurricane. That would be highly entertaining. Imagine the hair disaster!

On Rove's direct fax to their offices I'm reminded of FDR's Vice President Henry Wallace:

"The American fascist's method is to poison the channels of public information."

[farmbo]

108. Watching CNN for news?... How Nineteen Eighties.

CNN's been blocked on my cable system since they hired Glen Beck.

[NanceGreggs]

112. Even though I don't rely on CNN for news ...

... I have to admit the guilty pleasure of sometimes watching it for its (albeit inadvertent) entertainment value.

I can only handle her for five minutes every few weeks, but the "Nancy Grace & The Flaring Nostrils of Justice" show can be comedy at its finest. You know Nancy Grace - she's the woman who's never met a man who doesn't belong on Death Row.

And if I'm flipping channels and come across Carol Lin, I admit it - I CANNOT RESIST. It's like watching MAD-TV or SNL doing their best take-off on a newscaster! And if you turn on a Carol Lin interview when you have a houseful of people, she makes a GREAT parlour game: "Guess what TOTALLY INANE question I'm going to ask next!" (She ALWAYS wins, though. No matter how STUPID a question the home audience can dream up, she invariably TOPS it!)

I have CNN Headline News on while I'm getting ready for work in the morning, so I only hear snippets of it. Robin Meade, now there's a dim-bulb that is bound to give Soledad O'Brien some competition in the years to come. And it's always refreshing to have EVERY news item delivered in giggles instead of words.

But what it comes down to is this: If I hear an actual breaking NEWS item (rare, but it happens), I immediately log onto the net, so I can find out what's REALLY happening. I'm afraid that's what all TV news is becoming - just a prompt that sends you scurrying for your computer, where you can actually find reliable sources.

[mogster]

109. Splendid article!

You have nailed it! :-)

[HB1]

111. Witty!

What I'd like to see is less of the unrelenting negative slant of news coverage and more of positive news... the good, great, interesting and inspiring things being accomplished by real people.

[SharonRB]

115. Great writing, Nancy

:rofl:

[spooky3]

116. I'm sorry, I think you're being terribly unfair...

Their coverage of missing blonds and Brangelina is outstanding!

:sarcasm:

[hraka]

120. I will admit to watching

CNN Headline News on occasion in the break room at work. At least with them I can listen then form my own (often opposite) opinion. Can anyone give me one news channel that isn't unbalanced and insulting to non-conservatives? I need to go back to The Daily Kos and the rest of my internet news channels. Thank God for Current TV.

[Vinca]

121. Great piece - I loved this line:

"let’s go to our exclusive interview with a Chicago man whose cousin once worked in a factory that produces the kind of luggage that might be in the cargo hold of this very plane.”

:rofl:

[JerseygirlCT]

122. Excellent! nt

[rhett o rick]

123. Gets better each time I read it. nm

[Bluebear]

128. Me too. nt

[globalvillage]

124. Brilliant letter.

The "Headline News" format is another example of CNN's bizarre 'news' reporting. IIRC, it used to be headlines every 15 minutes.

An hour of Nancy Grace followed by an hour of Glenn Beck followed by an hour of Nancy Grace followed by an hour of Showbiz Tonight followed by an hour of Glenn Beck followed by an hour of Nancy Grace is not Headlines nor is it News.

[PCIntern]

125. I sent this to everyone in my e-mail directory...

Surprsing who responded positively...even some RWers, felt the same way - that they're being condescended to.

[MinnieCooper]

126. NanceGreggs is my hero.......

I bow to you. :yourock:

You say exactly what I have been thinking but you put it so much more eloquently than I ever could.

The only thing I suggest would be to bombard the executives at CNN with this message NOT the drones that don't have any power, even though you forgot Anderson Cooper's email addy of [e-mail]

Email [e-mail] or [e-mail], they are the ones that should feel the pain of their bad decision making and them getting 2 or 3 hundred copies of this in their mailbox would certainly make them sit up and take notice. Or you could call Jon Klein at home at either [phone] or [phone] to get the point "home" so to speak.

[Mythsaje]

127. Excellent, as always...n/t