Gay Question Puts CNN on Defensive

New York Times ^ | November 30, 2007 | Jacques Steinberg

[Zakeet]

The president of CNN said yesterday that the cable channel would redouble its efforts to vet the campaign affiliations of questioners at open-forum debates, after a retired brigadier general was permitted Wednesday to ask the Republican presidential candidates about gay men and lesbians in the military without CNN’s knowing that he was listed on an advisory committee of Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s campaign.

“I think it’s pretty obvious, in retrospect, our search should have turned this up,” Jon Klein, the president of CNN’s domestic networks, said in an interview. “It’s in the nature of doing something that hasn’t been done before — you’re going to try to anticipate everything, and you’re going to fail at that.

“Had we known ahead of time,” Mr. Klein added, “we would probably not have used his question. It raised too many flags, in terms of motivation.”

The retired general, Keith H. Kerr, was one of 5,000 people who had uploaded videos of themselves asking potential debate questions to YouTube, which organized the debate with CNN. Several dozen questions were selected for use.

Mr. Klein said that a small group of producers had conducted basic searches on the questioners picked as finalists, including whether they had made donations to any presidential campaigns. There was no evidence Mr. Kerr had, Mr. Klein said.

[Zakeet]

The President of CNN is as truthful as his newscasts when he insisted the
network had no idea Keith Kerr was a Clinton stooge. Several sources have
already exposed his lie -- Investor's Business Daily perhaps doing the best
job of it here (for the Free Republic post) and here (for the original article).

[OKSooner]

"The president of CNN said yesterday that the cable channel would redouble its efforts to vet the campaign affiliations of questioners at open-forum debates... "

When you multiply by zero you still get zero.

[Cagey]

That this story made the NY Times is not a bad thing.

[silverleaf]

“The president of CNN said yesterday that the cable channel would redouble its efforts to vet the campaign affiliations of questioners at open-forum debates”

Hmmm. Redoubling “ZERO” (efforts) will still give “ZERO” (results)

[Brilliant]

I guess I did not realize that Dan Rather was now on the staff at CNN.

[Ann Archy]

Mr. Klein, David Borhman, ANderson Cooper are ALL LIARS!!!!

[libstripper]

Already posted here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1932747/posts

[rightinthemiddle]

Notice the lib media is trying to make the whole fuss about the “gay” question. Divert, distract.

There were several plants and activists; a bunch of Libs at CNN cherry-picked the questions to make Pubbies look bad; CNN is ducking the issue and the MSM is going to give them cover.

[Brilliant]

The problem was that they DID vet the questioners, which is precisely why the questioners were all Democrats using the Dem talking points.

[Bernard]

Why is anybody surprised that CNN would behave this way? The only surprising part is that it was so poorly put together and transparent that the story broke immediately. This is also evidence that the Clinton campaign probably was not involved, because the cover-up would have been more professional and taken longer to unravel.

Or maybe not. She just thinks she's the world's smartest woman.

[roses of sharon]

I have a “gay question” for CNN.

How many gay men and lesbians are working in your newsroom, your on air talent, and as reporters?

The public deserves to know, truth in advertising!

[syriacus]

Redoubling “ZERO” (efforts) will still give “ZERO” (results)

I agree.

[Savage Beast]

“We would probably not have used his question. It raised too many flags, in terms of motivation.”

Say, Jon, are you concerned that the flags revealed your motivation?

[RedRover]

Wonder what page? The same writer’s hot scoop that Rosie O’Donnell was getting a show on MSNBC was on page one of the Times (I kid you not—I don’t read the Times and only saw it because it had such prominence).

[roses of sharon]

No, don’t divert or distract concerning gay questions.

Since CNN is so obsessed with gays being open and honest, lets write and call them and DEMAND they tell us who is gay that reports and produces their news??????????

[rightinthemiddle]

My point is, making the issue the “gay” questioner makes Republicans look like “homophobics.”

What about the CAIR intern? The guy who makes films ridiculing the Minutemen?

[Telepathic Intruder]

That all of the questioners were democtrat activists shows that it wasn’t just by accident that Hillary slipped her tentacles into this debate. There wa even a CAIR intern in there, and we know what camp they’re in.