Did Fox Steal CNN Coverage?

AP ^ | 2/17/2003 | DAVID BAUDER

[tubebender]

Cry me a river.

Other wise known as T/S...

[txradioguy]

When I was stationed in Georgia, the local Fox station was owned by the same people who owned the local ABC station. More than once I saw stories and reporters shared between the newscasts on both stations.

[Diverdogz]

Are you out of your mind? If CNN had done this to FOX, Bill O'Reilly would be ranting about it non-stop. FOX doesn't have coverage depth of CNN yet- give them time and they'll have it, but in the meantime, they should ask permission and not steal the work of others.

[meia]

No...Joe Civilian get paid a hefty amount of $$$$ for their home video of stuff....if it's done between major broadcast networks....it's usually known as "professional courtesy".

If major networks want to share their video, then they can. But it is done by asking permission first. I have personally been involved in situations where breaking news was happening very quickly and we have used information or feed from sources other than our own. But we always acknowledged immediately where we got that info and at the same time worked diligently to seek permission from the sources to continue to use the material.

In this case, no permission was sought, no acknowledgement was given and in fact, Fox is acting like a child who broke a window and is trying to pretend they know nothing about it. That is plagiarism.

[txradioguy]

How can it be stealing if even the suits at Turner Tower say that in this situation the video came under the fair use rule?

[txradioguy]

Even the suits at CNN are saying this video in this situation was deemed in the fair use category. No playjorism, no pirating, nothing wrong was done except by CNN who pulled a sophmorish prank during a national tragedy.

[DouglasKC]

Fox needs to invest in some cameramen and reporters. What would be the reaction if CNN pirated Fox coverage of news stories?

Yeah, this is the biggest gripe about Fox. Good shows, good commentary, but lousy reporting on breaking news. They just don't have the people out there like CNN does. They need to have a person in every state and most large cities around the world on standby just in case. Make them do something else if nothing is happening.

[CarolAnn]

"Their (FNC) breaking news coverage is pitiful."

I was watching FoxNews live on 9/11 when the plane hit the second tower. They were on their toes, I gotta tell ya. I think CNN was at commercial when that happened. I did get a chance to watch CNN's coverage later on the web, and they acted like they didn't know what to do in the minutes and hours after the attacks.

FNC was awesome that day.

[JennysCool]

I agree with you, Diver, that it would be a better world if nobody kiped anything from anybody and everybody was honest; that said, no way would O'Reilly be griping about this -- well, maybe he would after today! -- because this sort of stuff is just business as usual, not just on the networks, but on local TV (a LOT) as well. Stations are always cadging footage -- raw feeds off the satellites, especially. Like I say, usually they make up for it later. That CNN is bawling about this practice -- which I have no doubt they've indulged in a time or two or a hundred themselves -- is just part and parcel of their freefall.

[RonF]

I can vouch for that. I've done television in the Army since 1992. We are constantly loaning the network guys video that we shoot. The only reason that CBS had video from Somalia of the attacks on the Paki soldiers in 1993 was because I gave them mine to copy. LOL!

Ah, that's a little different, isn't it? I thought that video, images, etc. produced by the goverment were public property and anyone could use them (absent national security concerns, etc.).

[meia]

Even the suits at CNN are saying this video in this situation was deemed in the fair use category. No playjorism, no pirating, nothing wrong was done except by CNN who pulled a sophmorish prank during a national tragedy.

Which was the sophmorish prank? Putting a CNN logo bug on the screen instead of the Fox news logo, or switching to their anchor without first notifying Fox news? If anyone is guilty of sophmorish behavior it has to be Fox news. Or maybe after this, they should change their name to Faux News.

Again, the big story here is the cover-up and the refusal of Fox to acknowledge their use of CNN coverage. If they had just not tried to take credit for something they didn't do, no one would be talking about this now. This makes Fox look rather unprofessional.

[kwyjibo]

And also, it should be CBS who has a gripe because WFAA is a CBS affiliate.

Actually, WFAA (channel 8) is Dallas' ABC affiliate. CNN has a legitimate gripe here. As a professional courtesy, FoxNews should have had some type of graphic that stated "Video Courtesy of CNN" or somesuch. There's a huge difference in FNC airing the WFAA video without permission (which is not what occurred) and simply retransmitting the CNN broadcast as its own (which is what happened), and the fact that the Fox crew didn't acknowledge the source makes them look silly.

[Eastbound]

"But the difference is that you GAVE them the video to use. It was used with the permission of the person who was responsible for it. Fox took the work of others and passed it off as their own."

FWIW, I saw the CNN logo in the upper left of the Fox clip, but I didn't hear anyone verbally give credit to CNN.

[txradioguy]

I could have told no, but I'm a nice guy. And besides CNN had refused to share their video w/CBS and I had the only other copy.

[Diverdogz]

FOX can use the video, but they MUST credit the source. Failure to do so is tantamount to plagerism.

It is a matter of principle. ...or are you a pseudo-conservative who believes in rules only as they apply to others? FOX needs to fess up, take their lumps and strive to become better.

[Just mythoughts]

Maybe that is why Brit had little segment on tonight about Wesley Clark having to call CNN to see if he could give an interview after coming out of the building from Sunday show.

They had him on camera calling and asking permission to give interview and he was told "NO". Clark turn to camera and said he could not talk.

Clark works for CNN. CNN was called and said they refused to discuss the matter. (NOT EXACT WORDS USED - this story just made me remember that little segment)

[txradioguy]

Both of those count as sophmorish. And like I said even the suits at Turner Tower said FNC did nothing wrong. So what's your personal axe you have to grind with FNC anyway?

[guitfiddlist]

This is nothing more than a hit piece on Fox. You can bet if Fox was the supposedly aggrieved party here, you wouldn't hear a word.

Especially if the dimwits over at CNN actually "stole" FNC's philosophy of breaking away from their Pravda philosophy of 'Rat control of news. But CNN wouldn't dare. Not even for 2 seconds as an experiment. Idiots. Could save their network.

[Ronin]

Seems to me that if Fox did it and got busted, they need to fess up, pay the fine and stop it from happening again.

Bottom line is that it was theft that got caught.

[txradioguy]

"CNN believes fair use applied for the shuttle story. But its executives are still annoyed at Fox."

Sour grapes on CNN's part.

"...or are you a pseudo-conservative who believes in rules only as they apply to others?"

Nothing "pseudo" or "neo" about me. And if I believed in what you asked me above, that would make me a RAT, not a conservative.