First Rule of Journalism: Don't Talk About Journalism

While we're watching the Kabuki performed courtesy of CNN, NBC and the White House, let's take a minute to remember the last time CNN and Team BushCo had to get their stories straight:

The next day, CNN picked up the clip and showed it on one of its broadcasts, as CNN sometimes does with late-night comedy clips. Coming back from a commercial break after showing the clip, CNN announcer Daryn Kagan claimed that, "We're being told by the White House that the kid, as funny as he was, was edited into that video, which would explain why the people around him weren't really reacting". Later in the day, CNN changed it's story a bit as another CNN anchor claimed that, "We're told that the kid was there at that event, but not necessarily standing behind the president".

On Tuesday night's Late Night broadcast Letterman summarily dismissed both claims. Letterman called the assertions that the videotape had been doctored "An out-and-out, 100 percent absolute lie. The kid absolutely was there and he absolutely was doing everything we pictured via the videotape". His statement is described in the press as a "rant", which apparently is press-speak for "claiming that something that happened is true in the face of false CNN denials".

The next day CNN admitted the tape was real, and said that its statements to the contrary were due to "a misunderstanding among our staff".  On Thursday, CNN apologized on air to Letterman for suggesting that the tape was altered.

And this was over a silly story of a bored kid at a speech, which goes to show ya', no story is too small to warrant the thumbscrews.   So we've got CNN taking orders from the White House - again, the NYT and the WaPo force-marched to editorial meetings in the Oval Office and who knows what other pressure being put on other corporate media outlets.   This NSA story is huge, but if the corporate media continues to cower (or comply for other reasons), it will get pushed past the midterms because reporting on it before then would appear biased.  After all, there isn't any way to wedge Democratic culpability into it, is there?   Then we'll have to wait for 2008 to end because it wouldn't be fair to whoever runs from the GOP to be tarred with BushCo's brush and all.   Then it will time for a fresh start  and really, why rock the boat?   Invitations to cocktail parties in Kalorama don't grow on the grumpy tree.  We can wait to get the truth and anyway, isn't  American Idol on?

 

Comments

[DavidByron]

The link, "a misunderstanding among our staff" isn't working for me.

I'd very much like to know how CNN explains that claiming on TV that the White House told them someone else was lying and they believed them instantly was simply a "mistake". I can't see how that could possibly be true.

But if it is true CNN appear to be saying that they ocassionally report false information and source it to the White House with no word from the White House at all --- which is perhaps even worse. I dunno. Which is worse? CNN just makes shit up and tells you the president told them it's true, or CNN tells lies for the president and the president is incredibly petty.

Well the last one we already knew, although this shows it happening a STUNNING degree.

Either way CNN just reduced itself to the level of one of those magazines that tells you Hitler has been found on Mars..... but this credibility problem seems to have been completely ignored. "Ignore the man behind the curtain".

Good title.

[DavidByron]

Looking round I'm yet to find a direct quote of what the two CNN anchors lied. The first is reported to be at the request of the White House, the second lie, that the boy was at the event but not behind the president, is sometimes sourced to the White House but other times not sourced.

The second lie is the more telling because it's clearly 100% manufactured and ass covering, but if it wasn't sourced initially why do CNN claim they said it?

At any rate this would be two "mistakes", possibly both credited to the White House. All the more unbelievable since presumably Letterman had already denied the video was faked by the time of the second lie. Had he?

[eRobin]

Either way CNN just reduced itself to the level of one of those magazines that tells you Hitler has been found on Mars.

Funny.

Letterman always presented the video as true and accurate. That was what was so funny. He watched the rats run around the maze, knocking heads while he stuck to his story, which was the truth.

[DavidByron]

Well once again your memory of these events proves better than mine. I can't remember this at ALL yet I must have been aware of it at the time? It was even in a NYT column by Krugman back in 2004.

I think a big part of the problem is that it *is* funny. That tends to be a good reason to laugh and then forget it as unimportant. The Krugman article linked it to another example of another CNN reporter (Blitzer) making false statements that slimes a White House critic, crediting them to the White House, then retracting and un-crediting them at the same time when they were proven to be lies.