FNC rips CNN for irresponsibly and prematurely announcing Danny Pearl's death

Fox News Channel ^ | 2/1/02 | Fox

[The Raven]

Wow...I missed the part that this could be a hoax. Where'd that come from? Or is FOX speculating as well?

[Cold Heat]

Good post and good of FNC to bring CNN to a defensive posture. It's about time.

I don't mean to be picky but CNN has been doing this for a long time and has been called on it before.

[BunnySlippers]

Well, I keep a TV on my desk at work ... it's tuned to CNN. They merely announced that an email was received saying Pearl was killed as a result of the US not reponding to demands. Just because we don't like CNN doesn't mean we don't need to be fair.

[phasma proeliator]

Ping.

[Timesink]

CNN has a long way to go to match ABC on the day Reagan was shot, when they erroneously said that Jim Brady had died.

Boy, do I remember that, and I was only 11! Frank Reynolds had a total meltdown, pounding the anchor desk with his fists and screaming at everyone behind him to "GET THE #@%@# FACTS STRAIGHT!" or somesuch. It was actually one of the more honest moments in the history of TV journalism, if you ask me.

But as far as I'm concerned, CNN totally blew past that mistake with their 9/11 coverage. How many times did they screw up between 9 am and noon that day? First it was just a prop plane accident. Then they kept reporting over and over that "faulty guidance systems are leading these aircraft into the buildings." Then the State Department was being bombed. Then an explosion at the Capitol. And several other things I'm forgetting about at the moment. Basically, on 9/11, if anyone employed by CNN heard anyone on earth repeat any rumor whatsoever, it ended up on air, repeated over and over until it was disproven. I think all in all, what they did was far worse than ABC's Jim Brady screwup in '81.

[BJClinton]

I can't even find a link to the original CNN article that says they received an email that claimed he was murdered. Do you have one?

[RedBloodedAmerican]

LOL! yea, lets not hurt them, no, okay?

I hope FNC castrates CNN.

[BJClinton]

I hope FNC castrates CNN

No need, they've never had the b@!!$ to tell the truth in the first place.

[spycatcher]

The other emails *were* confirmed as coming from the kidnappers. This one wasn't.

CNN just decided to take a chance and reported it anyhow as news. It doesn't matter a whit if they were just "reporting they recieved an email" because anyone can fake an email or make a crank phone call. It was completely unprofessional for them to *assume* this was legit and make it breaking news.

Try emailing CNN that you shot some famous actor or found their body dumped and see if they make it breaking news that "we've recieved a report that so and so is now dead." And if there was already a tense hostage situation with said actor they would be even less likely to run with it. Whoever made the decision this time should be fired.

[wingnuts'nbolts]

Maybe, but ED is bubbly and cute and smart and wholesome and unstuck on herself.

[College Repub]

True, but the 2 guys are total lamers...Fox and Friends is maybe the corniest of all the morning shows. Zahn's is probably the most serious...

[Rome2000]

In a written statement, Farrakhan said that "to execute or murder this man will increase hatred for Islam and damage the reputation of Muslims throughout the world."

Calypso Louie finally got something right.

If these mongrels do kill this reporter, you can bet W will get payback when they least expect it.

Klinton and his freakish SOS Albright no longer foul the White House with the putrid stench of appeasement.

[BunnySlippers]

The other emails *were* confirmed as coming from the kidnappers. This one wasn't.

The other emails could just as easily been faked. Regardless, the premise of this thread is that CNN stated ... STATED that Danny Pearl was dead. That is not true. They did not say Pearl was dead. A little reading comprehension goes a long way.

[spycatcher]

Here's CNN's own revised take on that email they got

"The e-mail message is unlike previous ones sent by those claiming to hold Pearl, U.S. officials said, suggesting it may have come from a different source. The message sent Friday, for example, did not include photographs, had better spelling and differed in other ways than previous e-mails, according to officials."

Note that they're pretending now that they never saw the suspicious email themselves before they went with the story! Whoever originally decided this was breaking news was an utter fool. (It seems they've unpublished the original embarrassing article)

[horse_doc]

An email was received that said he was dead. That is correct but they are not saying he is actually daed.

An email was received that said New Delhi has been nuked. That is correct but they are not saying that New Delhi was nuked.

An email was received that said the Empire State Building was on fire. That is correct but they are not saying that the Empire State Building is on fire.

An email was received that said that Strom Thurmund was killed while bungee jumping. That is correct but they are not saying he is actually dead.

I just am not quite seeing the distinction. None of the above stories would have been run on the basis of a single piece of unconfirmed email.

[exit82]

Paula Zahn beats ED Donahey?

If you don't get rid of that dyslexia, you are going to be in college a very long time.

[L.N. Smithee]

I was watching CNN Headline News the morning that George H.W. Bush vomited on the Japanese PM. David Goodnow -- now with WorldNetDaily -- was anchoring that broadcast, and showed the yucky video of Bush collapsing and spewing. He was taken to a hospital, and there was no indication that it was a life-threatening event.

However, after a commercial break, a stunned Goodnow slowly intoned that 'we have learned that President George Bush...' and then a voice from off camera screamed, "NO! WAIT!" Goodnow turned his head, quickly turned back to the camera, and went on to the next scheduled item.

It was later disclosed that someone had phoned in a "confirmation" that Bush had died in the hospital. Goodnow was one second from infamy at that moment, and someone saved him.

[spycatcher]

That's amazing! CNN is so gullible.

I'm surprised some democrat didn't email or call CNN after G.W. fainted last week saying that he's choked to death and that the bad news gave Dick Cheney a heart attack, killing him also!

[spycatcher]

Here you go BunnySlippery, I linked a course for you to take here... As you said, a little reading comprehension goes a long way You may want to see if they also offer an email comprehension course for your CNN reporter friends. They should have some time on their hands soon.

Don't forget, if the original report was so innocent, it would still be on CNN's site. But they replaced it, and quickly flushed the goof down the memory hole. There's really no debate that they screwed up since they're now admitting the email never should have been taken seriously and it looked like a complete hoax from the start.