CNN’s Problem With The Facts (Cathryn Crawford)

Washington Dispatch ^ | September 23, 2003 | Cathryn Crawford

[Scenic Sounds]

CNN is having a rough time of it lately. Not only has it been thoroughly trounced in the ratings war by Fox News, it has had to admit that they have a problem with facts - namely that they seem to have a problem reporting them.

Christiane Amanpour is billed as CNN’s top correspondent - which is bad enough, considering her reporting. Now she’s embarrassing the already shame-worthy CNN by saying that they were intimidated into not reporting facts; intimidated by two rather ludicrous sources - Fox News and the Bush administration. She doesn’t offer any hard proof, just the woe-is-me, CNN-is-so-abused whining that has become commonplace in the last few years.

According to Christiane, the Bush administration and Fox News somehow muffled the voice of CNN (how exactly this was done isn’t made clear), and kept CNN from reporting facts during Operation Iraqi Freedom. Christiane is unquestionably vague in her comments, which she recently made to Tina Brown, the editor of Vanity Fair magazine.

When Tina asked if there was actually anything during the war that CNN couldn’t report, Christiane said, "It's not a question of couldn't do it, it's a question of tone. It's a question of being rigorous. It's really a question of really asking the questions. All of the entire body politic in my view, whether it's the administration, the intelligence, the journalists, whoever, did not ask enough questions, for instance, about weapons of mass destruction. I mean, it looks like this was disinformation at the highest levels."

Not a question of couldn’t do it? Really? Well, then, if it wasn’t, why didn’t CNN do it? She isn’t saying that Fox News enforcer-types were haunting the houses of Aaron Brown and Larry King, is she? So what’s her excuse for her “news” agency? None, apparently. She simply gives this vague notion of “intimidation”. And is she implying that CNN didn’t ask questions that should have been asked? Is that a surprise? I thought that happened pretty often at CNN.

Later, Christiane made this stunning admission: "I think the press was muzzled, and I think the press self-muzzled. I'm sorry to say, but certainly television and, perhaps, to a certain extent, my station was intimidated by the administration and its foot soldiers at Fox News. And it did, in fact, put a climate of fear and self-censorship, in my view, in terms of the kind of broadcast work we did."

Gosh, I guess Christiane forgot about the 12 years that Eason Jordan admitted that CNN was “self-censored” in Iraq. And, interestingly enough, Bill Clinton was the President during most of the time. Did Clinton intimidate CNN into not reporting what was really going on in Iraq during those years? Did Clinton tell them not to report about the raping, torturing, and pillaging that Saddam was doing daily? I doubt it - it isn’t nicknamed the Clinton News Network for nothing. There wasn’t even a powerful Fox News around at this time - which goes to prove that CNN can do a horrible job even without any competition. Yes, we already knew just how easily CNN is intimidated, Christiane. CNN told lie after lie after lie - some flat out, some by omission - about Saddam Hussein’s regime so that they could keep access to the country, despite the fact that their access did no good since they didn’t report the facts.

Perhaps what poor, persecuted Christiane and CNN are so upset about is that it is so much harder nowadays to make up facts and report them as truth, since there is decent competition in the cable news business, both from Fox News and MSNBC. Fact checking is no longer an afterthought; it’s a must unless you want to get called on it and then taken to the woodshed by your competitors. The ratings don’t lie - CNN is going to have to stop the sloppy, halfway reporting that has characterized its years of monopoly and work to keep their viewers. That bodes well for us, the public, because now we know we have options. If one network won’t report the facts, we’ll hit a button and watch one that will.

Cathryn Crawford is a student at the University of Texas. She can be reached with comments at feedback@washingtondispatch.com.

[Scenic Sounds]

Cathryn Crawford's latest!!

[Timesink]

Schadenfreude

This is the New York Times CNN Schadenfreude Ping List. Freepmail me to be added or dropped.

[StatesEnemy]

Hey Cat, ya married?

[Scenic Sounds]

Ping!

[Ciexyz]

CNN didn't muzzle itself during the early days of the Iraq war, when it aired a photo of an American soldier aiming a weapon around a corner of a building--with two frightened Iraqi women running past. The implication was that our forces were threatening the locals.

Liberalpuke creep CNN!

[Yardstick]

That was nearly as gratifying as an Anne Coulter column. This girl has the knack.

[Cathryn Crawford]

Hey Cat, ya married?

Nope.

[Great Dane]

What was her excuse in the Balkans...... oh, I forgot, it was her boy Clinton then, that does make a difference.

[HighWheeler]

Nice write-up Cathryn.

I actually watched her making the claims you point out, and was slackjawed that these weasels first admitted lying, distorting, and omitting, then stated that other news sources were better places to get the truth.

That was the first time CNN has been right in 20 years.

[princess leah]

Wish Fox News cable was a regular channel like ABC, CBS, NBC - then watch their ratings really skyrocket!

[Steve_Seattle]

Once again, we hear these idiotic claims that somehow Fox is preventing the issues from being discussed, is suppressing debate, etc. How they manage to do that with about 1/20th the market share of NBC etc. remains a mystery. Robert Bellah had an idiotic article in the Christian Century making the same claim, that Fox is somehow controlling debate in this country and suppressing dissent. I actually think that if liberals could find out a way to shut down Fox, they would.

[Scenic Sounds]

That was nearly as gratifying as an Anne Coulter column.

Ann who? LOL

This girl has the knack.

You're great at measuring columnists, Yardstick!! ;-)

[xzins]

The sweetest revenge.

I don't think I've even looked at CNN in about 6 months or so. Not even a blip.

Channel surf right on by. They don't exist. Neither do their opinions.

[Cathryn Crawford]

I tried to work the phrase "Crappy News Network" into it - really, I did - but I couldn't get it. Dang.

[shaggy eel]

I mean, it looks like this was disinformation at the highest levels."

,,, CNN was there to cover disinformation at the highest levels? The sun's always rising somewhere.

[mathluv]

And she is a journalism student at TU?!?!

[eureka!]

Well done CC. You might want to do a followup--Fox and WH intimidation versus Saddam Goons (a la the NY Times' Burns recent expose). A pox on the dishonest house of the War Slut and Clymer News Network....

[shaggy eel]

,,, big BUMP for Cathryn Crawford.

[Cathryn Crawford]

No - a history major at the University of Texas. :-)

[mathluv]

Sorry, misread it - it does not say journalism, just student.

[Lazamataz]

Wonderful job. As usual. :o)

[Eala]

This girl has the knack.

Agreed!

[patton]

Used to play a game, where one got points for getting odd phrases passed the reviewers. If it got past the boss, 1 point, two points for getting passed QC, three for gettin passed the big boss - five, if it was actually briefed in the pentagon.

I won with "superat inter alia."

[Starboard]

CNN -- Commentary Not News

[Scenic Sounds]

I actually think that if liberals could find out a way to shut down Fox, they would.

Well, folks like you and I just aren't gonna let em get away with that, Steve. ;-)

[Eala]

Now she’s embarrassing the already shame-worthy CNN by saying that they were intimidated into not reporting facts; intimidated by two rather ludicrous sources - Fox News and the Bush administration. She doesn’t offer any hard proof, just the woe-is-me, CNN-is-so-abused whining that has become commonplace in the last few years.

One could take off on Samuel Johnson: "Victimisation is the last refuge of a left-wing scoundrel."

[honeygrl]

GREAT article!! (as usual)

[Scenic Sounds]

The sweetest revenge.

That was quite an interview, any which way you look at it. LOL. ;-)

[optimistically_conservative]

Amanpour's Al-Jazeera envy showing ....

[Scenic Sounds]

,,, CNN was there to cover disinformation at the highest levels? The sun's always rising somewhere.

LOL. Very well put! ;-)

[Scenic Sounds]

Wonderful job. As usual. :o)

She just keeps getting better!! ;-)

[honeygrl]

Here, FNC comes with basic cable.

[txzman]

OK, Cat is so good we now need the obligatory picture. Anyone got a link?

Looking forward to next articles - conservatism is getting some great female leaders!

[RJL]

Christiane said, "It's not a question of couldn't do it, it's a question of tone. It's a question of being rigorous. It's really a question of really asking the questions. All of the entire body politic in my view, whether it's the administration, the intelligence, the journalists, whoever, did not ask enough questions, for instance, about weapons of mass destruction. I mean, it looks like this was disinformation at the highest levels."

If the “entire body politic” sees things different than you, maybe it’s not them who are mistaken.

Can anyone recommend a good therapist for Christiane? A good MD may be required for the old “war slut” as well, I’ve heard syphilis can derange a person.

[shaggy eel]

ping

[Scenic Sounds]

OK, Cat is so good we now need the obligatory picture. Anyone got a link?

I got special permission to get you a small one. ;-)

Looking forward to next articles - conservatism is getting some great female leaders!

Well, keep your eye on this one. She's just been warming up!! ;-)

[Sloth]

Good column!

[optimistically_conservative]

http://www.therant.us/images/rant_images/Cathryn%20Crawford.jpg

[Lazamataz]

She just keeps getting better!! ;-)

Better? Hells bells, man -- she's the best! :o)

[RJCogburn]

Really good job.

[F16Fighter]

Christiane Amanpour :"I think the press was muzzled, and I think the press self-muzzled...[blah, blah, blah, sob, sniffle]"

She doesn’t offer any hard proof, just the woe-is-me, CNN-is-so-abused whining that has become commonplace in the last few years.

LOL -- Nice work, Cathryn...

[SnuffaBolshevik]

Gotta love those red heads!

[Cathryn Crawford]

Some do...

[gcruse]

Nice job, CC.

[Savage Beast]

Christiane is not unusual really. Most so-called "journalists" find it difficult to distinguish fantasy from reality.

[July 4th]

Articles like this make me wonder what I'm missing in Wisconsin. (Actually, I can probably answer that one myself.)

[Dan from Michigan]

CNN's still around?????

[Cathryn Crawford]

Sadly, it is. Though not worth much.

[Scenic Sounds]

She doesn’t offer any hard proof, just the woe-is-me, CNN-is-so-abused whining that has become commonplace in the last few years.

One of these days we're gonna have to try to figure out exactly what leads people to whine. Maybe there's a cure. ;-)

[Dan from Michigan]

I never see anyone watching it anymore. LOL. Anyone I know with cable watched Fox.