Saturday, October 21, 2006
Republican Rep Wants CNN Embedded Reporters Ousted
Source: LA Times CNN has become "the publicist for an enemy propaganda film" by broadcasting a video showing an insurgent sniper in Iraq apparently killing an American soldier, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said here Friday.
Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-El Cajon) called for the Pentagon to oust any CNN reporter embedded with U.S. troops in Iraq.
"I think Americans like to think we're all in this together," Hunter said. "The average American Marine or soldier has concluded after seeing that film that CNN is not on their side."
CNN said it broadcast the brief video to show the threat that insurgent snipers posed to U.S. troops.
"Whether or not you agree with us in this case, our goal, as always, is to present the unvarnished truth as best we can," CNN producer David Doss wrote in a blog on the network's website.
Tony Snow, President Bush's press secretary, said the insurgents were hoping to "break the will of the American people" by giving the video to CNN.
The footage was shown first on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360" program, of which Doss is executive producer, and then on several news shows. It remained on CNN's website Friday.
Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-El Cajon) called for the Pentagon to oust any CNN reporter embedded with U.S. troops in Iraq.
"I think Americans like to think we're all in this together," Hunter said. "The average American Marine or soldier has concluded after seeing that film that CNN is not on their side."
CNN said it broadcast the brief video to show the threat that insurgent snipers posed to U.S. troops.
"Whether or not you agree with us in this case, our goal, as always, is to present the unvarnished truth as best we can," CNN producer David Doss wrote in a blog on the network's website.
Tony Snow, President Bush's press secretary, said the insurgents were hoping to "break the will of the American people" by giving the video to CNN.
The footage was shown first on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360" program, of which Doss is executive producer, and then on several news shows. It remained on CNN's website Friday.
# posted by ATN @ 11:16 AM 
Friday, October 20, 2006
Grace Heading To Gulf Coast
Source: The Clarion-Ledger Nancy Grace, legal analyst and host of her self-titled CNN Headline News television program, will be in Biloxi Oct. 28 through Nov. 4 to help victims of Hurricane Katrina.
Grace will work on several organized construction projects, including painting, carpentry, flooring and tiling.
Grace knows about tragedies: While studying to become an English professor, her fiance was killed. She switched to law and became a felony prosecutor.
Grace will work on several organized construction projects, including painting, carpentry, flooring and tiling.
Grace knows about tragedies: While studying to become an English professor, her fiance was killed. She switched to law and became a felony prosecutor.
# posted by ATN @ 8:32 PM
CNN Airs Footage of Iraq Sniper Attacks
Source: Associated Press CNN executive said Thursday the network's effort to present the "unvarnished truth" about the Iraq war led it to televise portions of a video that shows insurgent snipers targeting U.S. military personnel.
The tape, which came to the network unexpectedly through contact with an insurgent leader, was aired first Wednesday night on "Anderson Cooper 360" and repeated on Thursday.
In one instance, the tape shows a uniformed member of the U.S. military milling in a public area with Iraqis. A shot rings out. CNN fades the screen to black before the result — described as a victim falling forward — is visible.
It's one of 10 separate sniper attacks on Americans documented on the tape, which CNN technicians concluded was authentic, said David Doss, executive producer of Cooper's show, in a Web log entry describing the network's decision what to show.
CNN could not determine the identity of any of the sniper victims, spokeswoman Christa Robinson said.
Baghdad correspondent Michael Ware had been in contact through intermediaries with Ibrahim al-Shammari, a leader for the rebel group Islamic Army. Ware had sent al-Shammari a series of questions about the insurgency in Iraq, Doss explained.
In reply, al-Shammari sent two tapes. One reportedly showed him, with face concealed, responding to the questions. The other showed the sniper incidents, seemingly taken by the insurgents themselves, CNN said.
CNN understood that some critics might find that the tape had public relations benefits for the insurgency, Doss wrote.
"We also understood that this kind of footage is upsetting and disturbing for many viewers," he said. "But after getting beyond the emotional debate, we concluded the tape meets our criteria for newsworthiness."
The decision was subject to "hours of intense editorial debate" at CNN's highest levels, he said.
Doss said he had already received several angry responses from viewers of Wednesday's five-minute report, some wondering whether CNN was helping the enemy and others concerned that the tape was inappropriate for young viewers who may have happened upon it.
"Whether or not you agree with us in this case, our goal, as always, is to present the unvarnished truth as best we can," Doss said.
The tape, which came to the network unexpectedly through contact with an insurgent leader, was aired first Wednesday night on "Anderson Cooper 360" and repeated on Thursday.
In one instance, the tape shows a uniformed member of the U.S. military milling in a public area with Iraqis. A shot rings out. CNN fades the screen to black before the result — described as a victim falling forward — is visible.
It's one of 10 separate sniper attacks on Americans documented on the tape, which CNN technicians concluded was authentic, said David Doss, executive producer of Cooper's show, in a Web log entry describing the network's decision what to show.
CNN could not determine the identity of any of the sniper victims, spokeswoman Christa Robinson said.
Baghdad correspondent Michael Ware had been in contact through intermediaries with Ibrahim al-Shammari, a leader for the rebel group Islamic Army. Ware had sent al-Shammari a series of questions about the insurgency in Iraq, Doss explained.
In reply, al-Shammari sent two tapes. One reportedly showed him, with face concealed, responding to the questions. The other showed the sniper incidents, seemingly taken by the insurgents themselves, CNN said.
CNN understood that some critics might find that the tape had public relations benefits for the insurgency, Doss wrote.
"We also understood that this kind of footage is upsetting and disturbing for many viewers," he said. "But after getting beyond the emotional debate, we concluded the tape meets our criteria for newsworthiness."
The decision was subject to "hours of intense editorial debate" at CNN's highest levels, he said.
Doss said he had already received several angry responses from viewers of Wednesday's five-minute report, some wondering whether CNN was helping the enemy and others concerned that the tape was inappropriate for young viewers who may have happened upon it.
"Whether or not you agree with us in this case, our goal, as always, is to present the unvarnished truth as best we can," Doss said.
# posted by ATN @ 8:49 AM
Thursday, October 19, 2006
CNN.com Puts Power of CNN’s Political Team under Users’ Command
Source: CNN Press Release As America nears the 2006 mid-term elections, CNN.com puts its users in control of their election news and information with the multi-faceted “America Votes 2006” special section. Located at www.CNN.com/elections, America Votes 2006 provides an in-depth look at the political arena, featuring on-going political information and news coverage supplemented with polls, maps, user feedback, expert analysis, quizzes, streamed video and podcasts.“Every election cycle allows CNN.com to demonstrate how fast, informative and truly interactive a news site can be,” said Mitch Gelman, senior vice president and executive producer of CNN.com. “We put the power of CNN.com into the hands of our users, allowing them to customize election news and results to suit their personal interests and needs like never before.”
CNN.com’s “America Votes 2006” offers an array of reports and features, including:
· “Midterm Race Analysis” section provides users with Race Ratings, including a map detailing which races are a tossup, advantage Democrat or Republican, or not at stake. Additionally, this section has a “Balance of Power” display enabling users to click through possible scenarios across the congressional and gubernatorial races if Republicans win all of the races considered to be tossups, if Democrats win them all or if they split the races. The section also provides information about the key congressional and gubernatorial races across the country, along with the latest poll results.
· “Issues” section explores the number of issues that will guide campaigns as Democrats seek to gain control of Congress and Republicans strive to hang onto power. CNN picked five that will play a key role in the November elections: Iraq , economy, terrorism, immigration and moral issues. Each has its own page, which includes an overview, key votes in Congress and key dates relating back to the issue at hand. Additionally, CNN.com is asking users to share their thoughts about how these issues will affect their vote in the upcoming election by submitting I-Reports through CNN Exchange, CNN.com’s destination for user generated content.
· “Campaign Headquarters,” the online hub for CNN’s Political Unit, gives users a behind-the-scenes look at stories prepared by the network’s unmatched roster of political correspondents and experts. The section also provides links to numerous blogs, podcasts and the CNN Election Express Yourself tour, CNN’s unique traveling exhibit designed to give the public a hands-on political experience.
· “America Votes 2006 Audio Podcast,” featuring CNN senior political correspondent Candy Crowley and CNNRadio supervising producer John Lisk, touches on a different topic relevant to the upcoming elections each week. The podcasts are available in the America Votes 2006 special section, at www.CNN.com/podcasting and on iTunes.
· The CNN Political Ticker, a continually updated newswire operated by CNN.com and CNN’s Political Unit. Located at www.CNN.com/ticker, the ticker provides an essential source for breaking political news, the latest poll results and political analysis. In addition to its availability on CNN.com, the CNN Political Ticker is available as an e-mail alert to subscribers twice daily.
“America Votes 2006” culminates on Election Night, Nov. 7, with real-time results available on CNN.com and on CNN Pipeline, the site’s premium live video news service.
# posted by ATN @ 1:50 PM
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Ten Years At The Top – Latest Pax Survey Confirms CNN’s Decade At Number One In International News And Business
Source: CNN Press Release In one of the most remarkable endorsements to come from international television research, CNN International has ranked first in the news and business genre every year since 1997, according to the latest set of Pan Asian Cross Media Survey figures.The international news network also continues to attract a larger audience than all other news and business channels combined across the whole of the Asia Pacific region, retaining 82% more weekly viewers than the second placed channel in this genre and 219% more than the third placed channel.
“All of us at CNN are absolutely delighted that our award-winning and industry leading news coverage continues to resonate so strongly with viewers” said Chris Cramer, Managing Director, CNN International. “Not only have we seen a decade of pre-eminence, particularly among the key demographics of top management and business decision makers, but our audience lead out there has in fact widened significantly over the past few years, now standing at 687,000 more monthly viewers than the combination of other news and business channels,” he added.
The survey results, conducted by Synovate, also reveal that almost half (47%) of weekly CNN viewers watch no other news/business channel, while year-on-year audience growth is greater than any other news/ business channel. Online, CNN.com remains the leading regional website, visited by 69% more PAX respondents across a month than the next largest broadcaster or publisher’s website.
# posted by ATN @ 10:06 PM
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
Lou Dobbs to Host America Votes 2006 Town Hall on Oct. 18 in Kansas City
Source: CNN Press Release CNN anchor and best-selling author Lou Dobbs will host a town hall meeting titled “War on the Middle Class” on Wednesday, Oct. 18, from the Uptown Theater in Kansas City , Mo. The town hall will air live on CNN/U.S. at 7 p.m. (ET)
Dobbs will focus on several challenges facing middle class workers including a lack of representation in Washington , D.C. ; education; job insecurity; health care and voter empowerment. Each topic will feature a family struggling with that issue and a panel of experts including Robert Zimmerman, a Democratic National committeeman from New York; Ed Rollins, former White House political director for President Ronald Reagan; Truett Abbott, a middle school principal from Warren County, Ga.; Tom Loveless, a senior fellow with the Brookings Institution; and Ron Pollack, founding executive director of Families USA.
Viewers can participate in the town hall meeting by visiting www.cnn.com/loutownhall, where they can offer feedback, ask questions and learn more about Dobbs’ fight on behalf of the middle class. The town hall will re-air the next day on CNN Pipeline, CNN.com’s on-demand broadband news video service.
Dobbs, a long-time champion of the middle class, has brought attention to the plight of the American worker on both his nightly news show on CNN and his most recent book War on the Middle Class published by Penguin.
In conjunction with the town hall, the CNN Election Express Yourself tour stops in Kansas City Oct. 18 and will spend the day across the street from the Uptown Theater located at 3700 Broadway St . The Kansas City visit marks the seventh major stop for this unique traveling exhibit which has been visited by more than 25,000 visitors since it began making its way across the United States in the weeks before the mid-term elections.
Dobbs will focus on several challenges facing middle class workers including a lack of representation in Washington , D.C. ; education; job insecurity; health care and voter empowerment. Each topic will feature a family struggling with that issue and a panel of experts including Robert Zimmerman, a Democratic National committeeman from New York; Ed Rollins, former White House political director for President Ronald Reagan; Truett Abbott, a middle school principal from Warren County, Ga.; Tom Loveless, a senior fellow with the Brookings Institution; and Ron Pollack, founding executive director of Families USA.
Viewers can participate in the town hall meeting by visiting www.cnn.com/loutownhall, where they can offer feedback, ask questions and learn more about Dobbs’ fight on behalf of the middle class. The town hall will re-air the next day on CNN Pipeline, CNN.com’s on-demand broadband news video service.
Dobbs, a long-time champion of the middle class, has brought attention to the plight of the American worker on both his nightly news show on CNN and his most recent book War on the Middle Class published by Penguin.
In conjunction with the town hall, the CNN Election Express Yourself tour stops in Kansas City Oct. 18 and will spend the day across the street from the Uptown Theater located at 3700 Broadway St . The Kansas City visit marks the seventh major stop for this unique traveling exhibit which has been visited by more than 25,000 visitors since it began making its way across the United States in the weeks before the mid-term elections.
# posted by ATN @ 3:22 PM
Sunday, October 15, 2006
CNN Leads the Pack with Hawaii Quake Coverage
Pic from CNN Reporter
From what I've read on the net, CNN lead and continues to leads the pack with coverage of the Hawaii earthquake. I was at work and didn't see the coverage this after BUT CNN continues to stick with the story using their affiliate feed from KITV in Hawaii. All the other channels were stuck reading wire reports. Looks like FNC gave up and went back to regularly scheduled programming.
# posted by ATN @ 8:31 PM
