Cable News Network
The Cable News Network, commonly known as CNN, is a major cable television network founded in 1980 by Ted Turner.[1][2] It is a division of the Turner Broadcasting System, owned by Time Warner. CNN introduced the idea of 24-hour television news coverage, and celebrated its 25th anniversary on June 1, 2005.
In terms of cumulative (Cume) Nielsen ratings, CNN rates as America's #1 cable news network. CNN broadcasts primarily from its headquarters at the CNN Center in Atlanta, and from studios in New York City and Washington, DC. As of December 2004, it is available in 88.2 million U.S. households and more than 890,000 American hotel rooms. The U.S version of CNN is also shown in Canada. Globally, the network airs through CNN International and has combined branded networks and services that are available to more than 1.5 billion people in over 212 countries and territories.
History
Since CNN's launch on June 1 1980, the network has expanded its reach to a number of cable and satellite television networks (such as CNN Headline News), 12 web sites, two private place-based networks (such as CNN Airport Network), and two radio networks. The network has 42 bureaus around the world and more than 900 affiliates worldwide. CNN has launched many regional and foreign-language networks around the world. CNN debuted its news website CNN.com (then referred to as CNN Interactive) on August 30 1995.
A television movie, Live from Baghdad, was later made about the network's coverage of the first gulf war. Coverage of this and other conflicts and crises of the early 1990s (including, perhaps most famously, the Battle of Mogadishu) led to the coining of the term "the CNN effect", which testified to the perceived impact its pioneering real time, 24 hour news coverage had in influencing the decision-making processes of the American government.
CNN is still, however, second in world rankings when it comes to international news coverage, getting just over half of the audience the BBC does, perhaps due to its relative youth compared to the oldest largest news and broadcasting institution in the world. The BBC differs from CNN International which uses local reporters in many of its news-gathering centers, although they cover stories from an international (some would still say U.S.) perspective. [citation needed]
On September 11 2001, CNN was the first network to break news of what would prove to be the September 11 attacks. Anchor Carol Lin was on the air at that time. Sean Murtagh, CNN vice-president for finance & administration, was the first network employee to get on the air.
CNN launched two specialty news channels for the American market which would later close amid competitive pressure: CNNSI shut down in 2002, and CNNfn shut down after nine years on the air in December 2004.
Jim Walton is the president of CNN Worldwide. The current President of CNN/U.S. is Jonathan Klein. He was appointed in November 2004.
In 2006, reacting to the wide-spread growth of social media and user-generated content, CNN launched CNN Exchange and CNN iReport, initiatives designed to further introduce and centralize the impact of everything from blogging to citizen journalism within the CNN brand.
Specialized channels
- CNN Airport Network
- CNN en Español
- CNNfn (Financial network, closed in December 2004)
- CNN Headline News
- CNN International
- CNN Pipeline (24-hour multi-channel broadband online news service)
- CNN Plus (CNN+, a partner network in Spain, launched in 1999 with Sogecable)
- CNN Sports Illustrated (also known as CNNSI), the network's all-sports channel, closed in 2002.
- CNN TÜRK
- CNN-IBN An Indian newschannel.
- CNNj
Bureaus
- Note: Boldface indicates that they are CNN's original bureau, meaning they have been in operation since the network's founding.
United States
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Worldwide
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Controversies and allegations of bias
CNN has been accused of bias for allegedly promoting a liberal agenda based on previous incidents. It has also been accused of being slanted toward US interests when reporting on world conflicts and wars.[3] Critics such as LA Weekly say it is part of an alleged pro-war news media[1]. CNN denies any bias.
CNN has not been immune from criticism in its production of news programming. These are controversies and allegations of bias that have been directed at CNN (these refer to both the domestic version of CNN and CNN International):
Accusations of bias
CNN has come under criticism by conservatives claiming that CNN has liberal bias. Critics, such as Accuracy in Media and MRC, have claimed that CNN's reporting contains liberal editorializing within news stories, and have jokingly referred to CNN as the "Clinton News Network," the "Communist News Network," "Chicken Noodle News," or "Clearly Not Neutral".[2] [3]
Some liberal observers have claimed that CNN has a conservative bias. For example, media watchdog Media Matters has documented several hundred separate instances of what it sees as conservative editorializing during CNN broadcasts [4].
It is also under fire for showing too much entertainment stories and as the founder Ted Turner said "the perverted of the day".
Leniency towards George W. Bush administration
After 9/11
Amongst the criticisms levied against CNN, as well as the other major US news channels, is the charge that CNN took a lenient approach to the Bush administration, particularly after the terrorists attacks of September 11th 2001. At the 2002 Newsworld Asia conference held in Singapore, Rena Golden, the executive vice-president and general manager of CNN International, was quoted as saying: "Anyone who claims the US media didn’t censor itself is kidding you. It wasn’t a matter of government pressure but a reluctance to criticize anything in a war that was obviously supported by the vast majority of the people. And this isn’t just a CNN issue — every journalist who was in any way involved in 9/11 is partly responsible." [5]
Also after 9/11, CNN did not put an American flag up on their screen, unlike other major news outlets.
Invasion of Iraq
Lead-up to war
Critics take particularly strong exception to the handling of the Bush administrations rhetoric leading up to the invasion of Iraq in 2003. CNN’s own veteran reporter Christiane Amanpour characterized the behavior of the news media as "self-muzzling" and as "cheerleaders for the Bush war drive against Iraq". CNN coverage of the Iraq war has been criticized by international journalists for much the same reason. An editorial in the German publication Süddeutsche Zeitung compared CNN war coverage to "live coverage of the Super Bowl", and the Qatar based Al Jazeera has long criticized CNN for selectively portraying US soldiers as heroes. It should be noted that the bulk of the criticism is directed towards the version of CNN broadcasted within the United States; CNN International is considered more 'sober'. [6][7][8]
General war coverage
CNN's Iraq war coverage has been repeatedly criticized as pro-US, and several online news sources have been highly critical of an alleged pro-war slant.[9][10][11]
Emphasis on human interest over atrocities
CNN had also been criticized for excessively pushing 'human interest' stories and avoiding depictions of the violent images of events during the Iraq war; the result of all this being an alleged 'propagandistic' presentation of news. [12] Some critics have claimed that this constitutes a systematic bias in favour of the war.
Jon Stewart accuses Crossfire of "partisan hackery"
In October 2004, Comedy Central's The Daily Show host and comedian Jon Stewart created controversy when he berated hosts Tucker Carlson and Paul Begala on CNN's political debate show Crossfire. He accused both commentators of 'partisan hackery' and claimed that their style of discourse had been 'hurting America'.
Jon Stewart made a number of points, major among these include the theater and absurdity of cable news, dishonest 'debate' where eloquence and persuasion are more important than finding the truth, and the use of the media as part of politicians strategy.
In early 2005 CNN cancelled Crossfire; the legitimacy behind Jon Stewart's argument was cited by CNN president Jonathan Klein as one of the reasons behind the cancellation. [13][14]
Eason Jordan
Resignation after accusations by blogger
In February 2005, Eason Jordan resigned from CNN. The resignation came in response to controversy sparked after allegations arose on a blog that he had accused the U.S. Military of purposely killing journalists. While Jordan acknowledged his remarks were not sufficiently clear, he denies he ever meant to imply that the US government was intentionally targeting journalists. [15]
Temporary ban from Iran for mistranslation
In January 2006, CNN was banned in Iran as an expression of condemnation when CNN mistranslated a live broadcast of President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad. In the translation, CNN quoted Ahmedinejad as saying "the use of nuclear weapons is Iran's right." According to a release from the Iranian government, the president said "Iran has the right to nuclear energy." and went on to say "a nation that has civilization does not need nuclear weapons and our nation does not need them." The ban was lifted a day later after CNN issued an official apology for the mistranslation. [16]
Glenn Beck
In January 2006, Ken Jautz, president of CNN Headline News hired right-wing talk radio host Glenn Beck, giving him a primetime show which premiered May 8, 2006. Jautz stated that Beck was "cordial," and that his radio show was "conversational, not confrontational." [17] However, some left-leaning watchdogs like Media Matters for America and FAIR have claimed that Beck has a history of controversial statements made on his radio show [18][19][20][21][22].
Airs Bush rehearsal live during immigration speech
On May, 15, 2006, CNN aired a rehearsal of President George W. Bush's immigration reform speech live. "The president is rehearsing and the network pool inadvertently went to the president as he is rehearsing," anchor Wolf Blitzer said. Report of Event .
Hurricane Katrina comments
On the September 1, 2005 edition of The Situation Room, host Wolf Blitzer said the following about the numerous Hurricane Katrina victims, who were seen wading through the flooded streets of New Orleans: "... so many of these people, almost all of them that we see, are so poor and they are so black ..." [23]
Microphone gaffe during Bush speech
On August 29, 2006, during a CNN broadcast of President George W. Bush's speech on the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's landfall, CNN anchor Kyra Phillips' microphone was left on while she was in the bathroom. Portions of a personal conversation were broadcast live for over a minute and a half, during which Phillips offered advice on men, criticized her sister-in-law for being a "control freak," and praised her husband. The conversation audio was mixed with the President's audio feed and both were discernable. Conservative commentator Rush Limbaugh criticized CNN for not cutting Phillips' microphone, and questioned whether or not technical personnel at CNN were aware of the incident [24]. CNN later apologized for the on-air gaffe.
CNN Anchor Curses and Walks off the Set
On August 4, 2005, CNN contributor Robert Novak walked off the set during a live broadcast of the CNN show Inside Politics, on which he appeared along with Democratic strategist and analyst James Carville and moderator Ed Henry.
During a discussion of Republican representative Katherine Harris's just-announced 2006 campaign for the U.S. Senate and her claim that newspapers tried to tarnish her image by manipulating photos of her, Novak claimed he had experienced the same thing leading to a skeptical response from Carville. Novak responded by saying "don't be too sure she's going to lose...all the establishment's against her and I've seen these Republican – anti-establishment candidates who do pretty well." Novak mentioned Ronald Reagan and Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) before seeing Carville preparing to talk. Novak cut into his comments and said "Just let me finish what I'm going to say, James. Please, I know you hate to hear me, but you have..." Carville cut in and said that Novak has "got to show these right-wingers that he's got backbone, you know. It's why The Wall Street Journal editorial page is watching you. Show 'em you're tough."
Novak responded "Well, I think that's bullshit. And I hate that. Just let it go." Novak then removed his microphone and walked off the set.
After the segment ended, Henry apologized to viewers for Novak's leaving the set "a little early," adding: "I had told him in advance that we were going to ask him about the CIA leak case. He was not here for me to be able to ask him about that. Hopefully, we'll be able to ask him about that in the future."
They were never able to ask Novak about the CIA leak case. This was the last time he would be seen on CNN as he was suspended indefinitely after the incident. In a statement, CNN called the outburst "inexcusable and unacceptable," and apologized to its viewers. Novak was the last person to have appeared on the network since its debut weekend back in 1980.
On December 16, 2005, CNN's main competitor, Fox News Channel announced that Novak had signed a deal to do undisclosed work for the network. Novak stated that he would have left CNN even if his August incident didn't happen. He announced his retirement from CNN a week later saying his tenure at CNN lasted longer than most marriages. He now contributes to Fox News.
Alleged propaganda outlet for Insurgents
In October 2006, Press Secretary Tony Snow accused CNN of "propagandizing" the American public. Insurgents located in Iraq had filmed some of their attacks on American soldiers. CNN obtained the tapes from the insurgents and rebroadcast them in America weeks before national elections were to occur.[4] Snow said during a press conference, "your network has shown pictures of snipers hitting Americans, which was used as a propaganda tool, so the fact is that — it shows real sophistication on the part of these guys, because it creates the impression that Americans are sitting ducks, and that these guys are capable, when, in fact, while you have a capable enemy, they're dying in much greater numbers and suffering much greater damage."[5] As a result of CNN's news reports, Representative Duncan Hunter asked The Pentagon to remove embedded CNN reporters, claiming that "C-N-N has now served as the publicist for an enemy propaganda film featuring the killing of an American soldier."[6]
Opinion Research Corporation
On January 12th, 2007, Opinion Research Corporation announced a "formal polling partnership" with CNN. Since ORC's parent company, InfoUSA, is controlled by Vinod Gupta, a noted donor to, fundraiser for, and supporter of Bill and Hillary Clinton,[25] critics have questioned the reliability of CNN polls regarding Hillary Clinton's likely 2008 presidential run.
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- ↑ Me and Ted ... Reese Schonfeld Bio
- ↑ Charles Bierbauer, CNN senior Washington correspondent, discusses his 19-year career at CNN.
- ↑ CNN Exposed, cnnEXPOSED.com
- ↑ Video Shows Snipers' Chilling Work in Iraq. Retrieved October 20, 2006.
- ↑ Press Briefing by Tony Snow : 10/20/2006. Retrieved October 20, 2006.
- ↑ House Defense Chair Asks Pentagon to Remove Embedded CNN Reporters. Retrieved October 21, 2006.
External links
- Official Site (U.S. Edition)
- CNN International
- New Georgia Encyclopedia: CNN
- CNN Mashup
- Pipe 1
- Pipe 2
- Pipe 3
- Pipe 4
- Alternet
- CNN Exposed
- Media Matters
- CNN's Pakistan bias
- Sulekha Press Release on CNN 'pro-Pakistan bias'
- Jon Stewart on CNN on ifilm.com.
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