CNN says it erred in Mideast coverage (How About The Clinton Years?)

Associated Press/Boston Globe | Steve Weizman

[Lance Romance]

B>CNN says it erred in Mideast coverage

By Steve Weizman, Associated Press, 6/24/2002

ERUSALEM - 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 yesterday 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 US 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 said he has issued a directive ordering staff members to ''go to extremes'' to avoid any impression the company sees moral equivalence between terror victims and 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.''

[Lance Romance]

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

Just like ABC with Georgie Stephanopolous.

[joesnuffy]

''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.''

Translation: We are losing our market share

[lonestar]

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

Fooled me!

[Piquaboy]

It is a bigger error when you watch CNN.

[2banana]

''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.''

Translation: We will be denied access to all the news events by the Israeli Government

[syriacus]

The previous CNN policy shows that CNN's president of newsgathering, Eason Jordan, lacks either common sense or a sense of humanity. How dense can one man be?

CNN Executive Arrives in Israel

Jordan said he and other CNN employees have received angry e-mails accusing the network of bias in its coverage.

"Any suggestion that CNN is anti-Israel is absolutely ridiculous and baseless," he said.

Some Palestinian groups also have complained that CNN's coverage favors Israel.

There were published reports of calls by some Israeli citizens to take CNN off the air there. CNN International, which has different content than CNN's networks in the United States, is aired in Israel on three cable companies that reach 1.1 million viewers and on the YES satellite company, which has 310,000 subscribers. ...[snip]

Supporters of Israel in the United States have launched protests against media outlets they consider biased. One on-line petition circulating in New York calls on Cablevision systems to air Fox News Channel in all markets because it is "the only news network that is reporting the Israeli perspective fairly and accurately."

[DCPatriot]

"Just like ABC with Georgie Stephanopolous."

Just like FOX NEWS with Tony Snow. < /sarcasm >

I'm a staunch Conservative.....just making an observation, and suggesting that Sunday morning talkshows are *not* important outside the Beltway.

[eureka!]

Mistakes my *ss. Wake up Jews here and abroad, CNN is on the other side...

[Lance Romance]

The roundtable, on FOX, this weekend was insightful. Granted some of the people that host political shows have worked in various administrations.

However, they had earned journalistic credentials before they got their own shows. What is Georgie's journalistic background. Shilling for Bill and Hil.

I wonder why the position wasn't offered to George Will. He has much more lucid insightful comments than Stephi ever will

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Just like ABC with Georgie Stephanopolous."

Just like FOX NEWS with Tony Snow.

I agree that there are important similarities. I also hold that there are important differences:

1) Tony Snow broadcasts his opinion frankly as his own. Stephanopolous OTOH participates in the cabal which agrees, within itself, to hold all members of the cabal to be "objective." That cabal produces a consensus and expels any who would systematically deviate from it. The result is herd journalism, better styled sarcastically as "herd objectivity." Get expelled from the herd and you are "not objective . . . not a journalist."

2) Tony Snow does not literally broadcast; he's on cable and satellite. There is a colorable but debatable argument that cable and satellite are not controlled by the FCC in the same way as is ABC et al. (I would however wish to argue the contrary, that the "public airwaves" created the cable channels). I don't think, tho, that the cable channels claim the imprimatur of the Federal Government "broadcasting under authority of the Federal Communications Commission".

[TADSLOS]

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

Looks like bold faced lying is still the rage at CNN.

[July 4th]

Part of their restitution is front and center on their webpage today, as they start a series on Israeli terror victims. It's about time, but we all know their true allegiances.

[GBA]

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

Nice to see that a sharp yank on their purse strings will make them roll over and pee on themselves. Way to go, Israel!

[Benrand]

Bruce Morton lied yeasterday in his ridiculous Amtrak piece about who subsidizes what. He failed to mention how much money Amtrak loses, instead he tried the pulling on heartstrings ploy dumb people are susceptible to.

What an aging jerk.

[lasereye]

Some Palestinian groups also have complained that CNN's coverage favors Israel.

Yes, I guess we can expect to see the outraged Palestinians remove CNN from their areas.