CNN GIVES CHRISTIANE 'PRIVATE' DRESS DOWN

New York Post ^ | September 16, 2003

[Timesink]

September 16, 2003 -- CNN news chief Jim Walton had a "private converation" with reporter Christiane Amanpour after she accused her own network of being "intimidated" in its coverage of the Iraqi war.

Amanpour, a guest on last week's "Topic A with Tina Brown" on CNBC, set off shockwaves in the TV world over the weekend when she said she thought her employer, CNN, was "muzzled" in its war coverage by a combination of the White House and its competitive position with the higher-rated Fox News Channel.

[Bennett46]

What is it with lib-female hands? Those thick, stubby, sausage-like fingers look very similar to Hitlery's.

I will NOT think about where those fingers have been.

[jmstein7]

CNN denied it was cowed by anyone in its coverage - but said to have no plans to reprimand Amanpour. "I respect her," Walton told reporters yesterday and emphasized that Amanpour "speaks for herself" and not for CNN.

A Fox News spokeswonman said: "It's better to be viewed as a foot soldier for Bush than spokeswoman for al-Qaeda."

A DAMN CLASSIC line!!! Any idea who spoke it? Are we sure that Carville didn't make it up for K Street?

[Trailerpark Badass]

I seem to remember CNN admitting earlier on that they were in fact cowed...by Saddam Hussein and further admitted to covering the news as he wanted it covered at times... Why isn't that mentioned in this article???

I thought lefty journalists were supposed to be intrepid defenders of the truth? How can anyone believe anything CNN says now, about anything?

[ChadGore]

CNN denied it was cowed by anyone in its coverage Except when they admited to not reporting Saddams atrocities so that they could get they're war slut into the country for her stand-up in front of Saddams palaces.

[Bloody Sam Roberts]

"private converation"

"A Fox News spokeswonman"

Looks as if the NY Post TV staff needs to watch less TV and try some remedial spelling lessons.

Or get a proof reader on the staff.

[alnick]

I'm so glad that they included the Fox spokeswoman's comment. :-D

[alnick]

I'm still trying to figure out how Fox News has the power to "intimidate" CNN.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

If one Peter Arnet is fired from CNN, where does one he go?

CNBC, I think . ..

It's an article of the journalists' religion that the power of PR overwhelms the memory of the sheeple. They concentrate on the present moment, and not on the past--because the past has an untidy habit of turning out more positive than the extreme negativity of journalism would ever suggest.

A journalist just won't debate the issue with you, they'll change the subject to whatever the latest "breaking news" is. The day after the "Gore Wins Florida" fiasco journalism was abuzz about--the fact that it was Bush's cousin who first--and correctly--called "Bush Wins Florida."

Their fascination with that also betrayed, as Ann Coulter pointed out in Slander, the fact that their fast calls of Gore wins and slow calls of Bush wins had been a conscious strategy to give Gore a PR boost where the polls were still open. The journalists were accusing the Bush cousin of exactly what they in fact had done, were in fact still doing.

The rules of commercial journalistic success creates the PR tailwind which liberal politicians exploit (IOW, both are demagogic). Liberalism simply follows journalism, adopting journalism as a mainstay element of the Democratic Party. The reason for the Democratic Party's refusal to let go of the "Gore Beats Bush" scenarios is blindingly obvious.

It is journalism which still can't believe that they got Gore within 500 votes of victory in Florida, but couldn't put him over the top!

[alnick]

A DAMN CLASSIC line!!! Any idea who spoke it?

From a USA Today article: "Fox News spokeswoman Irena Briganti said of Amanpour's comments: 'Given the choice, it's better to be viewed as a foot soldier for Bush than a spokeswoman for al-Qaeda.'"

I love Fox News.

[keats5]

"Brit Hume played the clip of Amanpour's statement without editorializing."

LOL. I remember his report about how CNN talking heads decided that wearing flag lapel pins was showing bias. Brit spoke with his usual straight face, but all the time he had his flag lapel pin prominently displayed.

[jmstein7]

No... I mean, which Fox reporter is the line attributed to?

[MEG33]

Don't you know Roger Ailes is enjoying this!It was a dumb statement unless one is intimidated by Fox's ratings.If I were head of CNN I would be furious at her.

[onyx]

Excellent post. Thanks for the ping.

[MEG33]

I love Brit Hume!

[alnick]

I'm still on my first cup of coffee so I'm probably misunderstanding you. The line wasn't from a reporter; it was from Irena Briganti.

[jmstein7]

"A Fox News spokeswonman said: 'It's better to be viewed as a foot soldier for Bush than spokeswoman for al-Qaeda.'"

Irena Briganti was the "Fox Spokeswoman"?

[alnick]

Irena Briganti was the "Fox Spokeswoman"?

Yes, according to USA Today.

[FreeAtlanta]

Irena Briganti was the "Fox Spokeswoman"?

Didn't you mean Fox Superwomen? :-)

[IonInsights]

Maybe she should strap-on a suicide belt and detonate it while standing in her shower.

[RJayneJ]

It's indicative of why the coverage from CNN seems incomplete. With their bias, they often fail to ask that critical question. And I don't think that it is always malicious. It just doesn't occur to them because their focus is somewhere else. That applies to MSNBC as well, but they at least are learning by putting people like Scarborough on. I have been going out of my way to watch his program so they will see that when they go for more balanced news it helps complete their coverage of important issues.