CNN says it erred in its coverage of Israel-Palestinian conflict

Associated Press via Ha'aretz ^ | June 23, 2002

[Clive]

CNN erred in giving more programming time to the family of a Palestinian suicide bomber than to his Israeli victims and tried to rectify the mistake, the network's top news executive said Sunday during a damage-control visit to Israel.

CNN's coverage of recent suicide bombings has provoked anger in Israel and led a local cable company to start carrying CNN's chief U.S. competitor, Fox News Channel. Fox said it expects others to follow suit. Recent comments from CNN founder Ted Turner describing both Israel and the Palestinians as terrorists have fueled Israeli anger.

Interviewed on Israel Television, Eason Jordan, CNN's president of newsgathering, said his company strives for fairness.

"On occasion we make mistakes but that's not because there's any bias," he said. "CNN is not pro-Palestinian or anti-Israeli. We're fair, we're responsible in our reporting, we try to be as accurate as we possibly can be."

Told that a recent CNN interview with the family of a Palestinian suicide bomber received more prominence than one with a relative of his victims, 1-year-old Sinai Keinan and her grandmother, Jordan said: "That was a mistake, it should never have happened and I think we subsequently rectified that problem by airing extensively the interview with the Keinan family."

CNN is airing a series of heavily promoted half-hour specials on Israeli victims of Palestinian terror attacks and Jordan says he has issued a directive ordering staff to "go to extremes" to avoid any impression the company sees moral equivalence between terror victims and their attackers.

'We now have a new system in place where we just refuse to air any videotape or statements of suicide bombers or their families unless there's an extraordinarily compelling situation," he said. "Secondly, we want to focus more on the victims of terror. We have done that. I don't think we've done that enough."

Senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat said he was concerned Israeli government pressure could compromise the objectivity of CNN and other international media.

"I hope that journalism will not turn into shaping and packaging how they [the Israelis] think the media should be," he said. "What is really striking is that CNN is airing one week on the Israeli victims and they don't show the courtesy of having at least one hour on Palestinian victims."

Jordan said there was no link between CNN's fresh programming and the possibility that it could lose local markets to Fox.

Israeli criticism intensified last week when Turner was quoted seeming to equate suicide bombings and Israel's military response.

"I would make the case that both sides are engaged in terrorism," he said in an interview with The Guardian, a British newspaper. He later apologized, saying in an interview with Yedioth Aharonoth daily that suicide bombings are inexcusable.

CNN distanced itself from Turner's comments and pointed out that Turner no longer has an editorial role at the company. But the damage was done.

CNN's Jerusalem bureau was deluged with Israeli hate mail, the company posted an armed guard at the bureau entrance and Jordan flew to Israel, where he visited the sites of the last two terrorist bombings and scheduled meetings with Israeli journalists, terror victims, Palestinians and government officials.

Jordan said the company was taking criticism from both sides, with Palestinian officials he met Saturday accusing CNN of serving Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

"They believe that CNN is the propaganda arm of the Sharon government," he said.

[Bogey78O]

CNN is backpedaling since Israel told Turner to go "F" himself and are thinking of pulling CNN completely from Israeli television and revoking their press credentials.

[Paul Atreides]

"On occasion we make mistakes but that's not because there's any bias," he said. "CNN is not pro-Palestinian or anti-Israeli. We're fair, we're responsible in our reporting, we try to be as accurate as we possibly can be."

He must have been under heavy sedation when making this statement, because I don't see how he could have said it without laughing, otherwise.

[Kermit]

Boy oh boy, there's a lot of funny stuff in this piece:

"On occasion we make mistakes..."

Whew, baby, can't stop laughing at this one. Then we have Saeb Erekat, Palie spokesliar, worrying about the objectivity of the International Media. These guys are ready to compete with Leno and Letterman for late night tv.

[tinacart]

"the network's top news executive said Sunday during a damage-control visit to Israel."

Damage control NOW? Whew, they are really feeling the heat this time!

[monkeyshine]

CNN are bunch of effing panzies. I'd have more respect for them if they simply said they thought Israel was in the wrong. For them to say they "erred" in showing more footage of suicide bombers than their victims is an insult to thinking, moral people everywhere. They'd have to be brain dead not to realize what they were doing.

[mewzilla]

It's not called Crescent News Network now for nuthin'...

[monkeyshine]

CNN distanced itself from Turner's comments and pointed out that Turner no longer has an editorial role at the company.

First of all, why would ANYONE have "editorial control" of a NEWS network. News is NEWS, not EDITORIAL.

Second, this is a lie. After the flap around Turner's comments erupted, the anchorwoman on CNN said "Mr. Turner has just handed me a statement and asked me to read it on the air." She then proceeded to read it. If Turner has no control, why the heck would she read his statement, and why was he there in the newsroom to hand it to her? What a load of crap CNN is. I despise them.

[AAABEST]

Whew, baby, can't stop laughing at this one.

Both of you guys found this article humorous. This is very telling as whenever CNN was mentioned around here a few years back it evoked great anger.

It's hard to be jovial about people or things you feel are powerful and dangerous. The fact that we're now laughing at them is a sign that they are becoming irrelevant.

[mewzilla]

And did you see that anchor? She looked like a deer in the headlights. John Gibson on FOX's The Big Story commented at the end of a recent show that the big cheese at FOX doesn't stand over their shoulders (he even had the camera pan to make the point) while they do the news. That's why he (Gibson) works for FOX. And, he concluded, that's why viewers should watch FOX. Works for me.

[Clive]

I did not notice the more detailed Ha'aretz story posted by you, so I am linking to your post from here.

Background - CNN blinks first in battle with Israeli officials

[Starwind]

"On occasion we make mistakes but that's not because there's any bias,"

Translation: We're normally very careful to air only pro-Palestinan pieces, but every now and then a factual pro-Israeli piece slips thru, but that's not because we have any bias for Israel.

[MinuteGal]

Hmmmm, let's see now. If widespread TV and CNN had been around during WWII, the America-haters at CNN would have undoubtedly given more sympathetic coverage to the Axis than the Allies.

There would have been a shocked outcry. So then, CNN would have pulled back and announced they were going to bend over backward to give EQUALLY sympathetic coverage to the Axis powers and the Allies powers.

Now CNN is going to "try" to give equal coverage to the murderous Islamic terrorists and to those countries (including the U.S.) who are striving, fighting and shedding blood to protect their people against horrors such as 9/11. In CNN's eyes, their change in policy will make everything "right"and "equal".

CNN is despicable. In wartime, there should be NO SUCH THING as subversive CNN-type "fair and balanced" reporting perpetrated by the owners, management and employees of this AMERICAN corporation and then shoveled into American homes.

Either you're with evil or against evil. I have no doubt where CNN stands. Abominable traitorous criminals in suits and ties!

Leni

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

First of all, why would ANYONE have "editorial control" of a NEWS network. News is NEWS, not EDITORIAL.

Non sequetur. Why is it a "News network?" Only because of editorial decision. Is the death of Ann Landers news? How much coverage does it deserve? Editorial decisions.

Once the sham "objectivity" of journalism is stripped away, you have nothing but editorial decisions. Including whether to cover the funerals of suicidal people, or of their victims.

[cynicom]

Once again the dollar is mightier than the lie.

CNN sees themselves going into the tank, so they will swallow their pride for the buck. Swine.

[Diogenesis]

Can a rational human believe Turner OR CNN? No.

NEW CNN TELEVISION SERIES

The New Destruction of Western Civilization by, and on, CNN

==========================

Monday:

A program on 'Our Planned Future Complete Destruction of Israel'
narrated by Sheila MacVicar, Andrea Koppel and Terrorist Arafat.

---

Tuesday:

A startling program on "Our Previous Destruction of Czecho.. 'Old-Switzerland'.

---

Wednesday:

Ms. Fonda Turner returns for 'Our Past and Future Treason against America'

---

THURSDAY:
Ted Turner will tell of his being "a student at Brown University
...kicked out for painting swastikas on the doors of Jewish student's rooms."
Turner will give an intro into turning Hate Crime,
like his, into paying off with billions and billions of $$$$$$$$.

Ted Turner, June 18, 2002: "So who are the terrorists?
I would make a case that both sides are involved in terrorism."

---

CNN harbors terrorists. Now we know why.

[RAT Patrol]

"On occasion we make mistakes but that's not because there's any bias," he said. "CNN is not pro-Palestinian or anti-Israeli. We're fair, we're responsible in our reporting, we try to be as accurate as we possibly can be."

Oh no, of course there is no bias...HA! Blah, blah, blah...."we get complaints from both sides..."..blah, blah blah..Gee, I've never heard that one before. /sarcasm

CNN is not fair. When they are accurate it is in the Bill Clinton realm. It all depends on your definition of "accurate".

[VOA]

CNN says it erred in its coverage of Israel-Palestinian conflict

Translation:
CNN Furiously Attempts to Stave Off Further Market Erosion By Truth-Tellers At FOXNews

I even heard Lou Dobbs on The Dennis Prager Show last week saying that while
Ted Turner is a genius in his work in media, he can be an idiot when spouting off.

All I can say is "Ted tell the world what you really think!"

[AmericaUnited]

The fact that we're now laughing at them is a sign that they are becoming irrelevant.

Excellent observation and point. CNN is a laughing stock and irrelevant.

[monkeyshine]

OK, I can buy that. Thanks. At the very least then, CNN is wrong by saying that they is no bias. Their (and everyone's) bias is existential.