CNN SENIOR MANAGEMENT LAUNCHES INVESTIGATION INTO CHENEY "X" - Control Room Staffer Laughed

The Drudge Report ^ | 11-22-05 | Matt Drudge

[rabair]

XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX TUE NOV 22, 2005 08:25:48 ET XXXXX

**Exclusive**

CNN SENIOR MANAGEMENT LAUNCHES INVESTIGATION OF CHENEY 'X'; CONTROL ROOM STAFFER 'LAUGHED' WHEN X FLASHED

CNN management has launched an internal investigation into how a giant black 'X' mark appeared over Vice President Dick Cheney's face -- as he delivered a speech from Washington on Monday!

"We are taking this matter very, very seriously, and I can assure you no one at this network would ever deliberately place an 'X' over the vice president's face," a top CNN source, who asked not to be named at this time, said from New York.

A well-placed CNN insider claims a control room staffer "laughed" when the image appeared shortly after 11 am.

A careful review of the tape now shows a white colored 'X' was also transposed over Cheney's face during the speech, it appeared for less than 1/15 of a second, creating a startling flash effect.

CNN spokeswoman Laurie Goldberg emails: "We concluded this was a technological malfunction not an issue of operator error. A portion of the switcher experienced a momentary glitch. We obviously regret that it happened and are working on the equipment to ensure it is not repeated."

A rival network news director asks: "When has an 'X' ever aired on CNN before? Who had the graphic sitting in the key signal? Who generated the 'X'?"

The vice president himself is said to have brushed off the incident, a White House source said early Tuesday morning.

Developing...

[saveliberty]

:-)

[NRA1995]

Anyone know if CNN's control rooms employ DUmmies?

[EQAndyBuzz]

No one is believing it.

Some one will lose their job over it and I would expect that CNN will broadcast an apology to the Vice President.

oh.. sorry. I tought I was in fantasyland for a moment.

[hawkaw]

OMG!

[ml1954]

I can assure you no one at this network would ever deliberately place an 'X' over the vice president's face," a top CNN source, who asked not to be named at this time,

How could he possibly know? Another "misstatement" from one of the self appointed "High Priests Of Truth". Not to mention that we know many, if not most, would like too.

[cake_crumb]

"actually, that text on the bottom of the screen has already been figured out as nothing really that important by the blogosphere: "Transition begins after 5 frames of black" is what it says"

There is more text below that. It's smaller.

[blu]

Cheney X

A pope for the new millennium?

[wita]

OK, you stepped in it this time. It is absolutely impossible to lose something you never had to begin with. Broad brush approved by Broad Brush Council.

[Peach]

I couldn't read that text under Cheney's face either and would love to know what it said.

[johnny7]

Well done!

[savedbygrace]

You're not disagreeing with what I wrote. I said they probably noticed the first time it blipped on. I only added that they had to find to source, which might have taken a few secondsm or even longer.

How long did this X event go on? Anybody know?

[nicmarlo]

with additional text below it. Take a GOOD look.

I saw that, immediately, on the picture....

[ken5050]

CNN has just announced that in the future all LIVE news will be on a 15 second tape delay..

[tubebender]

I spotted the extra text last night. It shows up a little better in white. Can anyone enhance and read it?

[KarlInOhio]

Transition begins after 6 frames of black

It looks like how they mark when a local commercial is supposed to start. I was watching a TV show on DVD (I forget which one), and the producer said he wanted the screen to go to all black, but the network chewed him out because that would automatically start commercials at local affiliates. So he ended up showing almost black between the scenes where he wanted black.

They might have the big X on a second satellite feed to alert crews down the line what they should be looking for.

Victory Gal originally posted this picture which extracted the text in question.:

[Raebie]

It's the news ticker text at the bottom of the screen.

[rabidralph]

That phrase was probably the pre-programmed command for the X to disappear. I haven't been in a modern control room but back in the day, computers weren't widespread in TV news. You could type the text into the CHYRON generator, make it any size you wanted and have it ready for when the director called for it. You would push the lever up and the text would appear onscreen for whatever purpose. I'm sure that with things being more controlled by computers, some doofus created the X and rather than tabbing down to type in his command, accidentally typed it on the screen portion and then re-typed it in the command space, not realizing that he previously typed into the screen. Sort of like when using Yahoo mail, the cursor jumps back into the address field, after you thought you tabbed into the text field. Just my theory.

[CedarDave]

Video here. Black X appeares at about 1:25.

Just once or multiple times? If mulitple do you have the times?

[NRA1995]

This is right up there with CNN playing "Movin' On Up" ("The Jeffersons" theme) in the background after Condi Rice was picked to be Secretary Of State last November.

[savedbygrace]

According to a link on Michele Malkin's site, that video was apparently altered from the original. Go to her site for the real scoop.

There no indication from that video how long the X event lasted. Do you know?