CNN's Wolf Blitzer gets Howard Sterned

Science Daily ^ | August 24, 2006 | UPI

[CedarDave]

NEW YORK -- A notorious prank caller and Howard Stern fan from North Wales, Pa., managed to get onto CNN's "The Situation Room" and was interviewed about the Ramsey case.

In a live phone interview Tuesday with CNN's Wolf Blitzer, Thomas Cipriano pretended to be Wendy Hutchens, a California woman claiming that five years ago she had detailed chats about the death of JonBenet Ramsey with murder suspect John Mark Karr, the New York Daily News reported Thursday.

"Wendy Hutchens is joining us on the phone right now," Blitzer told viewers. "Wendy, thanks very much for doing this. Tell our viewers how you got involved with John Mark Karr." The fake Wendy then proceeded to explain that she met Karr through a relative.

"So then what happened after that?" Blitzer pressed. "When did the e-mail, when did the talk of JonBenet Ramsey begin?" The fake Wendy replied, "It started around September of 2001, when he told me that he knew more about the JonBenet Ramsey case than what anybody else had known -- and that he was instructed to kill JonBenet by Howard Stern."

At which point Blitzer ended the interview, saying, "All right. Well, that sounds like we've just been Howard Sterned, as they say."

Copyright 2006 by United Press International. All Rights Reserved.

[spectre]

Durn, sorry I missed it..but I was watching FOX News Network at the time..

sw

[BeHoldAPaleHorse]

Back when that guy (Ferguson?) shot up the Long Island commuter train, someone called CNN and stated that Ferguson was shouting "Baba Booey!" between shots...

[ElTiante]

Jack Hausman:Can you imagine whoever this monkey is, that wants to make monkey love to Howard Stern, has already made love to the Devil!

[GovernmentShrinker]

There's some value, however, in forcing these smug news networks to publicly advertise their amateurish standards for screening sources. The lesson is, we can't tell how many other witness/insider call-in interviews are totally fake, because the networks never seem to catch on until (IOW unless) the caller hollers something about "Howard Stern" or "Babba Booey". Callers who actually want to foist disinformation on the public won't do that.

[BaBaStooey]

And a bababooey to you all.

Gee, you know, I've always wondered about my screen name..

[Extremely Extreme Extremist]

I remember when it happened to Dan Rather, when JFK Jr. got killed. What's even funny is that Dan pretended to treat the interview as if it was still real. He just kept going.

[bmwcyle]

I see OJ and he's look'in mighty scared.

[roses of sharon]

Yes, both are juvenile.

[SJSAMPLE]

A few years before that, there was a private boat burning off the East cost, with people in the water.

CNN received a call from a "US Navy Admrial", who explained that The Navy had intercepted the distress call and was pulling 13 people out of the water.

The CNN talking head began to ask questions and received a very detailled, five-minute explanation about what was going on. Finally, Talking Head asked why the people jumped into the water and the "Admiral" responded,
"Because Howard Stern told them to."

Talking Head sat there and hung his head for about five seconds ;)

Anybody stupid enough to air live interviews with unverified sources DESERVES to get "Sterned".

[tamed]

: ) That is too funny.

I can't stand that news story. I think it's a sick story. When will we have bigger news - so that this one story will be over?

[em2vn]

Are you an accountant who has had his funny bone removed? It is a national requirement to be a CPA.

[Larry Lucido]

Are Stern fans just all brain-damaged or what? I thought he was interesting for about 6 months, then realized he had nothing new to say about anything.

[mysterio]

I'm not a Howard Stern listener, but I have to admit, the prank phone calls to news networks are hilarious. There's one on ebaumsworld where a caller tells a CNN anchor after a two minute interview that a forest fire was started by Howard Stern's intestinal gas. She gets really angry. It's classic.

[lilylangtree]

You called that right. Anytime there's Bush bashing, they get front row seat.

[freedomlover]

I have no problem with these pranks. They show how little verified facts make it to our maintstream media troughs.

Sort of like Green Helmet Guy popping up in an audio context.

[pollyannaish]

Years ago, I was at work in my small town and was called and asked by a man with a "radio voice" for a complicated set of prices. He asked legitimate questions but said I couldn't call him back with the prices, so I worked feverishly to get them done while he waited. It took a bit, so he kept putting me on hold. Each time he did, the "hold music/talk" would get increasingly disgusting and obscene. Really obscene—in a Ramsey/Karr kind of way. (Still makes me feel queasy.)

I tried to be as professional as possible, but eventually handed the phone over to my boss who calmly told them to knock it off that he didn't appreciate people abusing his employees that way. The entire episode probably took a half an hour. It was a complete violation. It really shook all of us up and left us unsettled for several days.

But, the thing is I know more now and I still cringe every time I think of that situation, because I now believe that somewhere thousands of big city people where probably laughing themselves silly during drive time at the stupid, naive country girl. I've heard enough now, to know almost word for word what the announcer was saying to his audience every time the hold button was pushed. What he would have been saying to keep this prank going. How they would be ridiculing my earnest efforts.

There is a difference between good natured pranks and ridiculing someone...and this was simply a way to make fun of me, my company and my small town. Laughter at my expense.

Needless to say, ever since then, I can not STAND that kind of thing if people don't give permission for it to be broadcast. Imo, it is morally reprehensible if the entire point is to humiliate others intentionally and without their knowledge.

_{Please note: I will personally shoot anyone who says "That was you?" in response to this post. Please, leave me with a glimmer of hope that he was just pervert and no one else heard it. LOL}

[DoughtyOne]

LOL

[Republican Red]

Are you one of those way too cool MTV types that also thought it funny when the same followers "pranked" Rather during the 9/11 news cast? Bodies dropping out of the World Trade Center, baba bouey!Hillarious!

If the guy threw in the word booger or fart maybe my eight year old would also think it funny.

[em2vn]

No I'm one of those Vietnam combat veteran types. However, you are trying, unsuccessfully, to compare two very different events.

[PJ-Comix]

Cap'n Janks is GREAT! His best stunt was when he scammed Peter Jennings just following the OJ Bronco chase.