Friday, April 26, 2013

The Continued Abuse and Devaluation of Real 'Breaking News'; CNN and Cooper at Heart of Issue


It's happened again. We should not be surprised but when such a news-gathering stalwart logo gets abused time and time again, we have to talk about it.

Remember when "Breaking News!" was a time to stop everything and look at the TV monitor and listen to the radio. Today, it might be taking a turn to the Internet.

Well, the relic of real, breaking news has been further abused and devalued. I talked about this not so long ago. And that's a shame because "Breaking News" was cause for concern, a jolt, a retreat from your moment in life at home, in the office, whatever you were doing, you stopped and immediately went to see what was going on if you cared about the news. I mean, isn't that what we all do?

Now, once again, in light of the Boston Marathon bombings and the ensuing aftermath of stories about the brothers, their tactics, their plans, "Breaking News" once again became all too placid, for the most part, and hate to say it, CNN was the main culprit, with their top dog, Anderson Cooper, its greatest abuser.

Moreover, even when it was plainly apparent that nothing remotely was news nor was any of it breaking, CNN continued, (and continues without any shame), to routinely air "Breaking News" sounders and promos. That's simply irresponsible and downright misleading to its viewers and CNN, even in this lazy day of cable journalism, should know better.

This constant churning out of a hallmark news phrase has been marginalized and diminished. It's a shame that legitimate big and even-not-so-big, real, genuine, BREAKING NEWS has been de-legitimized. Viewers, rightly so, for the most part, have removed the urgency of that sounder from their mindset. It's just another baseless tag line that has been thrust into the cable forest.

CNN isn't the only suspect; Fox News is another co-conspirator. Local TV news stations have also added to the debacle. But CNN has a brand, a reputation, (which has taken a legitimate beating the past few weeks), and that's all but vanished.

A sign of the times that further muddies the already public skepticism of cable TV news. When there's real and absolute new developments, a real story, legit Breaking News, wake me up.

*Follow me on Twitter and listen to me every Monday-Friday from 1-4 PM PT on KSCO-KOMY

142 comments:

  1. Interesting you think Cooper is the main of abiding the ”breaking news” tag line, I think Blitzer is the worst offender. He starts everyone of his Situation Room shows with the breaking news song and dance. Simply annoying and irresponsible.

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    Replies
    1. Pete Williams of NBC News is their chief Pentagon Correspondent. Has been for years. The best.

      Delete
    2. While adding Pentagon stories, Pete Williams does more than just that. He covers (and has done so since 1993) the Justice Dept. and provides Supreme Court Coverage.

      He was the Asst. Sec. of Defense at the Pentagon for sometime under Dick Cheney and the Pentagon Purblic Relations head before joining NBC News in the mid-80s.

      Delete
  2. i totally agree rich!
    kgo radio was overdoing this the other day with breaking news of a car crashing into a house in san jose. big deal! must have been a slow news day.
    last night on the several radio stations ktvu kept running a breaking news of a squatter that owned a home but never paid for it. 'tune in at 10'. big deal! i must have heard it 8-10 times over 3 hours on 3-4 stations.
    in other words, i totally agree rich!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I don't detest Keith Olbermann nor do hundreds of thousands of others. An eccentric flake? Yes. A brilliant writer and commentator? Absolutely.

      Delete
  3. You know you are in for a ride when a news story is given its own logo.
    That tells you that the marketing has begun. Soon there will be an action toy or a colored ribbon to give us some way to be part of the story.

    I think CNN started the trend way back with OJ Simpson. Maybe before.

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    Replies
    1. CNN...shills for the mainstream lie, like the others.

      Anderson Cooper: interned at the CIA for two years. Comes from an affluent family. Had several interesting career tracks to choose from yet decides to broadcast in front of blue screens claiming to be somewhere he's not.

      manufactured content based on falsehoods. I only bother with it to know what the latest propaganda is from the modern day Newspeak.

      Delete
  4. Did you give MSNBC a pass because they don't have much of an audience to speak of, or for their unblemished coverage? Just wondering.

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    Replies
    1. Yeah, I'm just a damn liberal!

      To answer your questions...MSNBC, for the most part, is not as abusive here as is CNN and FNC. That doesn't make them great, but in this case, they're not as bad as the others.

      Doesn't really matter that they have a diminished audience. They still count.

      Delete
    2. Does vomit smell better than poop?

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    3. Since the Boston bombings; MSNBC is now behind CNN in the cable news ratings. CNN has lots of breaking news concerning the bombing, the bombers family, the bombers school mates, the list goes on. CNN is gettting every ounce of breaking news out of this story.

      Delete
  5. "A brand ... that's all but vanished?" You sure about that? Really?

    NY Times, April 22: "Coverage of Boston Manhunt Delivers High Ratings to CNN

    "Despite some critical reviews of its performance during coverage of the manhunt to find the perpetrators of the bombing at the Boston Marathon, CNN attracted one of its biggest audiences in a decade to its all-day reporting on Friday."

    From Mediaite:

    *CNN Tops Cable News In Demo With Friday’s Boston Coverage*

    "CNN may have made headlines for some of their mistakes during coverage of the attack in Boston and its aftermath, but the network’s coverage on Friday — when the manhunt for suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev took place — earned it the highest cable news ratings in the demo.

    The network averaged 2.47 million viewers in primetime and 1.34 million viewers in total day in the 25-54 demo (Fox won in total viewers). By comparison, in the demo, Fox News averaged 1.93 million viewers in primetime and 953k in total day and MSNBC had 618k and 387k respectively.

    CNN was also the top-rated network among the 18-34 demo, coming in second when among all the networks (NBC was first).

    As an aside, both Fox News and CNN saw their ratings peak during the 8 p.m. hour (in MSNBC’s case, it was 9 p.m.).

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    Replies
    1. This ISN'T about the ratings...Maybe you should read the story again and the headline too.

      Delete
  6. Public skepticism of cable TV? CNN especially?

    Fox News wins weekend ratings contest, CNN takes demo during Boston coverage

    Data courtesy of Nielsen Media:

    ***FRIDAY, APRIL 19***
    7 p.m. ET (full hour when news broke of second suspect’s capture):
    FNC: 5,748,000 in total viewers
    (1,574,000 in 25-54)
    CNN: 5,195,000 in total viewers
    (2,362,000 in 25-54)
    MSNBC: 1,429,000 in total viewers
    (459,000 in 25-54)

    PRIMETIME 8-11 p.m. ET
    FNC: 5,970,000 in total viewers
    (1,926,000 in 25-54)
    CNN: 5,371,000 in total viewers
    (2,474,000 in 25-54)
    MSNBC: 1,717,000 in total viewers
    (618,000 in 25-54)

    ***SATURDAY, APRIL 20***
    TOTAL DAY (6 a.m. ET – 12 a.m. ET)
    FNC: 1,755,000 in total viewers
    (414,000 in 25-54)
    CNN: 1,566,00 in total viewers
    (604,000 in 25-54)
    MSNBC: 511,000 in total viewers
    (183,000 in 25-54)

    Source: http://dailycaller.com/2013/04/22/fox-news-wins-overall-cnn-takes-demo-in-friday-saturday-ratings-contest-of-boston-coverage/

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    1. Yeah, the consumers have been fed their grub and eaten it up so what? This ain't about THAT. Read the story again.

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    2. The CNN and MSLSD broadcasters are the ones on their knees...ratings-wise.

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    3. Not bad, Rich, but I'll go one better ...

      Last I checked, being popular didn't necessarily make something good.

      Delete
  7. Who needs CNN when you can listen to Rich Lieberman give you a play-by-play of what CNN and Fox News are reporting?

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  8. "Local TV news stations have also added to the debacle."

    Are you referring to the Bay Area, specifically?

    Give us some examples of best/worst coverage. Who are you pointing the finger at?

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    Replies
    1. KTVU is guilty of this a lot...PIX, KRON every now and then. For the most part, they're not as blatant as CNN or Fox...for the time being.

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  9. BREAKING NEWS is way overused and is very devalued. NFL Network used this term like crazy during their first round draft coverage. It's like the kid who cries wolf. Enough already. Stop it.

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    1. Crazy MSM - They ALL act like this.

      That's why I don't watch; I get my news on the Internet and listen to "Lieberman Live."

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    2. Maybe that's why you are deficiantly informed and not truthfully nor accurately told what's going on. It's a shame that Rich says he is NOT a reporter, but, as they all say, "I am an entertainer."

      I don't trust my news interest in "entertainers" (and that is questionable in Rich's case for he is neither a reporter / journalist nor entertainer. He is an unprepared "talker" - not even a commentator. I hear nor see anything but the same thingns opined upon the same way almost everyday. Sad.

      You can believe some of what you see on the Internet or on CNN some of the time, just not all of the time. A lot like fooling people.

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  10. It's happening at the newspaper level, too. Just subscribe to a local newspaper's email alerts. It used to be reserved to a few times a week. Now, it's on anything from an ID of a homicide victim to a car crash. Push notices, too. Anything to get an eyeball.

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  11. This is a story with "breaking" elements that go to a very important inquiry..CNN has reporters in the region of Russia where the dead caucasian muslim bomber mixed and mingled for six months..The idea that he wasn't assisted and/or trained by others strains credulity and has huge importance for everyone who cares about terroristic acts here. The ready access to endless welfare, housing, food, educational assistance scams is also significant to any American who has concerns about the way the public dollar is spent. This is an era where SS COA cuts are proposed by this president.(support for American disabled, veterans, and the elderly)
    Remember these are 24hr a day,cable operations watched all over the world..Of course, the news cycle is going to repeat..that's the whole idea. If you get tired of watching or hearing a repeating news cycle ..then just turn it off.

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    1. ”endless welfare”, it is not the 1970s Christine, we don't need your ilk to stigmatize poor people further because of the acts of two morons.

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    2. Welfare scams are not the exclusive purview of "morons". Perhaps our veterans, and elderly and disabled American citizens don't need your "ilk" which desires to stimatize them in favor of the undeserving. The President's proposal to freeze cost of living adjustments for older americans and disabled americans and veterans on fixed incomes can well mean the difference between having or not having any food that week. You'd prefer that able-bodied immigrants who are not willing to work, have those benefits. The COLA debate and the immigration benefits debate are taking place now, 2013, not the "1970's" Were you and your collective "we" too busy to notice?

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    3. Why do you hate elderly American citizens, disabled American citizens and our veterans so much? Aren't they poor enough for you?

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    4. Why are you pitting poor people on welfare vs poor veterans and elderly? That's an equation you came up with not me. I'm for providing assistance to whoever needs it and not overreacting like a lunatic because those two idiots were on welfare for a time. Christine get a grip.

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    5. your bold,anonymous assertion that I need to "get a grip" is laughable. The bombing suspect who died was noted by all his boxing confreres as being a "fancy dresser" who drove "fancy cars", while drawing sustenance for that life from the taxpayers of Massachusetts. I've done many federal hearings for disabled people who are truly deserving, to get the benefits to which they are entitled. I've been on the front lines of this debate.I've seen many welfare scammers try to access the same benefits,illicitly.I'm a lifelong advocate of welfare benefits in every form for American citizens, disabled and our veterans getting those benefits and helping them transcend any difficulties in getting them. What I object to is welfare scams, like the ones implicated in the present story. For example, here in Sacramento, where there is a very large population of evangelicals from Ukraine, their churches have "advisors" who teach them how to get a state dept. stipend of many thousands of taxpayer dollars, section 8 housing, waiver of education costs, and free healthcare. Those benefits don't end, even when the recipients no longer need them. That is wrong, especially when our own citizens, veterans, disabled and elderly are barred from similar assistance. These immigrants come from a culture where you take everything you can from the government always, even when you don't need it.These particular immigrants also claim religious persecution in their homeland, which is also a con.

      You see, in the real world, there is a shrinking pool of available resources to take care of poor and the needy. My argument is that those with genuine needs should be at the top of the list. The president of the United States is trying to cut COLAs(cost of living adjustments) for legitimate Social Security recipients. That extra $20 a month for a senior on a fixed income is something they count on. You'd rather it go to buy something for a scammer. Shame on you.

      Delete
    6. Isn't the topic at hand the excessive use of "breaking news" headline when there is nothing new to report?

      Rich: Is there anything you can do to stop Christine from consistently hijacking the comment threads? They quickly degenerate into incivility when one begins to disagree with her views.

      Delete
  12. I found the whole Boston Marathon bombing media feeding frenzy disgusting.

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  13. Appreciate you, your blog, "The Rich Lieberman Show, and, of course, your mother.

    Duke University professor Orin Starn nailed it about the Boston bombing.

    "It's astonishing just how fast it turned into a
    media circus and the latest national spectacle.
    But it was also altogether predictable given that
    we now seem to lurch from one made-for-TV tragedy
    to another. Each drama -- Virginia Tech, Sandy Hook,
    Aurora, and, the archetype of them all, 9/11 --
    follows more or less the same script."

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  14. Starn's column is masterful and I'd like to share it with you and your readers, if you don't mind.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/orin-starn/inexcusable-boston-bombings-frenzy_b_3146475.html?utm_hp_ref=cnn

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  15. The streets are deserted, it's as if a bomb dropped...that has to be the best line uttered by a NEWS reporter ever.

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  16. Your indictment of cable/satellite news is an interesting read, it serves its purpose of stimulating discussion, though it was hastily done and couched in predictable generalities. Still, I'll give you a B-.

    I watched every channel for a time last week, though I found NBC to also be well done and pleasant to watch under difficult circumstances, the other cable news channels outside of CNN were way over the top making assumptions that these two knuckle heads were Al Qaeda sleeper cells.

    MSNBC had one a terror expert surmising a cell would be activated in another city while so many of the countries finest were focused in Watertown and Boston. The fear mongering was way over the top on most of the other cable news channels. I could not stand it. Our fears as a whole regarding 'terrorists' are really misplaced--kinda like our fear of spiders. It is a good thing spiders do not understand our fear, perhaps they would bite us more often then they really do. The media fans terrorism more than an actual terrorist.

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  17. Rich has always gone after CNN as incompetent boobs and Faux News as phonies. This is nothing new.

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  18. CNN deserved getting ripped by the Bay Area's premier media critic and up-and-coming radio talk show host.

    I swear Wolf Blitzer can't get a single sentence out of his mouth without saying something is terrifying or horrific. I happened to be listening a few months back when the ferry in NYC crashed into the dock. In the space of 3 minutes he used the word horrifying and terrifying at least 15 times.... for a boat crashing into a dock. It's become a pattern on CNN... that and 24 hours of highly energetic dribble because they don't actually have anything to report except how busy the are covering the story.

    They aren't alone. We don't get news anymore except maybe from PBS. The News Hour tops my list. The rest is gossip and propaganda.

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  19. CNN has become a high school TV lab for remedial journalism students.

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  20. Thanks to your blog, I'm not watching CNN again until they fire Anderson Cooper.

    Perhaps news organizations like CNN need to find a way to hire news reporters that have a clue.

    That said, the problem of "all news all the time" means lots of useless filler and speculation - which does nothing positive to serve the public interest.

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  21. As disgraceful to journalism as CNN is, it's still far better than Fox News. MSNBC is irrelevant.

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  22. I can hear dogs barking in my neighborhood right now. Should I call CNN?

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  23. Criticizing CNN for their news coverage these days is like shooting fish in a barrel.

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  24. Frank Sommerville is the key to our liberation from false reporting and media hype. We are lucky to have him!

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    1. Now you have hit one of my hot buttons. I have grown increasingly frustrated by this, especially by Ch 11. Almost every news program is now opening with "Breaking News!!!!!" Have they forgotten they are producing a news program? Breaking News is part of that news program.

      And while I'm at it, same goes for weather reports. They now consume more air time that sports. I wish they would stop with the breathless reports scattered throughout at least a half dozen times that it's hot outside, it's cold outside, we've received a trace of precipitation. Enough.

      Delete
    2. You're kidding, aren't you, or did Rich put you up to this? :-)

      Delete
    3. Oh, so Rich's little scolding should make it all better now, should it? As if!

      Delete
    4. What really astounds me is most Hollywood movies today still portray CNN as the major source of News in their Movies and then MSM tells us there is no liberal bias in Hollywood...I have lived in Calif. for more than forty years and the bias is worse than any 'Black List' Mccarthy era!

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    5. Attempting to save face while simultaneously hemorraging viewers and credibility...THIS is CNN.

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    6. The absolute worst coverage of this terrorist event was mis-performed by NPR (Nalitional Propaganda Radio).

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    7. There's no credability in any of the news organizations.

      It's about their desperation for fame and recognition then about reporting the news.

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    8. Mediaite's Joe Concha says "CNN is the "spare tire in the car," and "when a story breaks" people go to CNN to find out what is going on because "they're the best" at live coverage." What in the world are you smokin Joe? Everyoneone knows CNN is last in everything & they are a joke.

      Delete
    9. CNN...when you want the absolute least in news reporting.

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    10. I don't think many people saw the John King debacle.

      Now however, other media outlets that are watched are reporting on it and people are laughing.

      The one comment I heard several times is "what else would you expect?"

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    11. WAKE UP.... .

      Delete
    12. Railing against CNN is a waste of time.

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    13. Rich,

      Quite honestly, I find a lot of your assertions somewhere between perplexing and illogical.

      Kirk out.

      Delete
    14. CNN is rightly the target of criticism, and it's important for them to know about it.

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    15. As one that respects CNN, despite its occasional let-downs, I am so disappointed in this piece.

      Delete
    16. I substantially agree with you up to a certain point, and then I beg to differ.

      Delete
    17. This blog seems to be one written in order to get attention.

      Delete
    18. I am grateful for the examples you provided in highlighting the "bad" coverage and your expert opinion, but you have posed this as a false either/or. Either we excoriate CNN or we focus on the good reportage.

      Delete
    19. Your essay is riddled with logical flaws and mischaracterizations.

      Delete
  25. CNN: the second "Comedy Channel"

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  26. I frequently watch CNN and they most of the time they do a decent job of covering the news. However, during the coverage of the Boston Manhunt, they did indeed become the Clown News Network.

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  27. Trust not in CNN; instead, tune into KOMY 1340 from 1-4 pm, Monday through Friday, and follow this blog. There, I just gave a plug for Rich "Liberal" Man.

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  28. WHAT HAPPENED TO THE TEXAS EXPLOSION??? ...seriously Boston still taking coverage? ....Texas texas people .... The cable/satellite news networks gave it scant coverage

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  29. Mother's Day is May 12. Do something special for mom, Rich. Keep us updated regarding her condition.

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  30. CNN: Apologize for your disgusting coverage of the Steubenville Rapists

    http://www.change.org/petitions/cnn-apologize-for-your-disgusting-coverage-of-the-steubenville-rapists

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  31. You haven't said anything that we didn't know already.

    TV hyping news stories?

    What else is new?

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  32. News outlets need to take the time to verify/validate their information and vet their information sources.

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  33. Richard, can you give us an example of what you are referring to here: "CNN was the main culprit, with their top dog, Anderson Cooper, its greatest abuser." What set you off about Anderson Cooper?

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  34. Well written, but nothing new here, Rich. Thank you.

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  35. Fox made the same mistakes as CNN.

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  36. What about Fox News alerts?

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  37. The New York Post misidentified the suspects on their front page, showing a picture of someone else, a completely innocent person (who thereafter feared for his life). They also reported early on that 15 people were dead and dozens lost limbs. By far that coverage was the worst. By far. I'm surprised you didn't mention them and instead lambasted CNN.

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  38. Fox Snooze.



    WE distort, We decide.



    YOU..... shut up, put your oxygen on and listen.

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  39. Truth out Mister Lieberman.

    Cable yes. "News" no.

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  40. Megyn Kelly & Faux News Channel did the same thing.

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  41. CNN suffered from trying too hard. It happens when you get desperate. You should know.

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  42. Easy for you to sit on your perch, peck away at your computer keyboard, and criticize everyone else when you won't broker any criticism of your radio program.

    All the networks do this during a crisis like this. It's really difficult to bring news as it's happening without risking dead air time.

    CNN didn't handle it as well as others did. But they do have a good record of getting on the scene.

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  43. Instead of breaking news, once again news becomes the news.

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  44. Is "Lieberman Live" devaluing the talk show format or taking it upmarket?

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  45. I think every news organization and credible journalist should be held to the same journalistic standard, regardless of the medium. If NBC wouldn't want Brian Williams speculating and commenting on unverified information on the nightly news, they shouldn't tolerate his doing so on Twitter.

    If you're a journalist and you get on a stage and play guitar, we'll cut you some slack if you aren't all that great at it. But if you are a journalist and are reporting and commenting on current events, well, you asked for it. We can disregard the moronic tweeters with no credentials, but you have to take the good with the bad, otherwise you are no longer a journalist.

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  46. Wow, I really disagree with you.

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  47. Mr. Lieberman: did you ever hear the term "journalistic integrity"?

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  48. Until a media member has confirmed something to be FACT, it should either not be reported or it should be reported as unverified speculation.

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  49. You seem to believe that there's some obvious, perhaps divinely inspired, standard for what constitutes a fact. Or, as you put it, a FACT. News flash: there isn't. Just varying degrees of uncertainty.

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  50. Media writing about media! That's Rich!

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  51. Poppy Harlow of CNN reported her sorrow and empathy for Dozkhar and the promising future he has forfeited.

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  52. Are we becoming more savvy as as news consumers? Do we flock to quality news coverage or settle for mediocrity?

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  53. I don't watch CNN

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  54. In big news stories the event happens, what is known is reported and then the news media starts vamping. The story is too big to move on to the next story and no new information is available. After it is repeated a few different ways things start to get made up and speculation kicks into over drive.

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  55. It's definitely hypocritical for people to criticize the media for making mistakes in an effort to satisfy their audience's insatiable appetite for up-to-the-minute news. Good news takes time, fact-checking can't happen fast enough to keep up with the audience's expectations. I think it's fair to criticize the institution of 24-hour cable news in general, but not really an specific reporter.

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  56. I have an insatiable appetite for up-to-the-minute news. So can I criticize the media for making mistakes without being a hypocrite?

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  57. The national media was not horrendous; the Boston media was. Those of us who were local watched television out of Providence to get national coverage - that was far more clear-eyed than the local coverage. I'm sure some information is still not sorted for the public. An occasional mistake is not a crime and is bound to happen, but local media in national events do not do well in a 24/7 spotlight. They continue to talk beyond when they have something to say and beyond when anyone wants to listen to them. They are still talking now, but much of the audience has tuned out. The Globe probably sold more papers last week than in the past year; let's be honest, this tragedy was a hit machine for local media. Many people I know stopped watching because of conflicting information and glaring inaccuracies: Twitter in this case was probably better.

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  58. I checked the media carefully and thought KTVU was impressive locally and nationally precisely because they did not jump in the information pig pile. They sat calm and analytical and watched that that stooped below an ethical bar. I was impressed.

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  59. If CNN is trying to beat rumours on twitter, it will always fail. There will always be someone in the world, at the site of what ever just happened, updating information live that will spread accross the internet, sometimes right, sometimes wrong, for information.

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  60. This blog is part of the predictable avalanche of stories and essays reminding us how upsetting the initial erroneous reports were. And then we debate the outrage of it all for hours and days. "The media" sucks, blah, blah, blah.

    Cut the crap already.

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  61. On top of all this, TV news will never beat the internet. Part of the problem for them they still don't realize is the medium is a dinosaur.

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  62. We are stuck by the media corporations with non-news because that is what makes money-now that all news is gossip,speculation and entertainment. and the one with the juiciest,spectacular non-news gets the ratings.

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  63. When you preempt programming and turn on-site and studio reporters into 24-7 information sources on a singular event that is still developing, it's quite difficult for them to have something intelligent to say...constantly. saying the same thing over and over (sometimes inanely) and showing the same video over and over is not news.

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  64. You need to send this blog to every news outlet in Boston. A great deal of information was flat inaccurate; in fact, I will bet we are still thinking things true that turned out not to be.

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  65. How about when CNN reported that the affordable care act was overturned by the Supreme Court? Was that just a strikeout, or was it more like batting out of order? Or was it missing the team plane altogether? Maybe hitting into an unassisted triple play.

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  66. Not a bad way to judge it, Lieberman. I recall seeing the headline that a cop was killed outside MIT. I thought it might be related to the bombing, but I went to bed satisfied that whatever news value it had, it could wait until morning, giving journalists time to get the story right. I'm actually pretty happy with that result.

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  67. Cnn has been lying for years, why call them out now?

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  68. Still, when big news breaks, we instinctively look to CNN.

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  69. Rich instinctively goes for the jugular at CNN.

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  70. You know you're the gastropod eating whale excrement when the media blogging maven rips CNN.

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  71. CNN is foundering. Has been ... for a long time. What else is new?

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  72. I can't understand how no one's head rolled at CNN after their Boston coverage, they should be mortified and airing an apology after every commercial break

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  73. They'll probably fire an unpaid intern in response to this blog.

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  74. I was following the Boston Globe on Twitter while my wife watched CNN, I had accurate news about 10 minutes before CNN even breathed it. It was a trainwreck

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  75. Yep. I was watching BBC while hubbie was watching CNN and I saw the news long before he did. It took him a while to admit how bad CNN was. The BBC also had reporters much nearer the scene with the cops permission, while CNN were way up the street and getting shoved further away. CNN is crap.

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  76. It's easy to criticize the media for live reporting of a tense and fluid situation.

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  77. its a joke, cnn has become a joke, it should be replaced with monkeys they would do a better job, an are a lot cheaper, now i can ship my pants, anderson cooper and crew need to ship their pants as well..just saying.

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  78. Rich either has self-esteem of steel, or has some delusional sense of self.

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  79. You're a poor man's Anderson Cooper.

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  80. Gawker headlines two late night comics because they felt bad about the bombing in Boston. Now they once again kiss the ass of their hero for having the hindsight of ragging on a cable news station for getting a story wrong. How much lower can the bar go before gawker decides that some acts of random television entertainment are not genius programming?

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  81. People still watch CNN? Learn something new every day.

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  82. Wow! you totally don't get it all. you're accusing CNN when you can't get your facts straight. shame on you.

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  83. I only watch CNN when Fredricka Whitfield is on. She's hot. What about you, Rich?

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    1. I'm a fan of Suzanne Marveaux. Lovely and smart. Better than Brooke Baldwin or Erin Burnette. Classy all the way.

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  84. The problem is that in a 24 hour news channel, people want to do the footwork on camera. This is the stuff that wouldn't leak out until hard confirmation. But who has time for that when you're competing with Fox News - which also got it wrong, but did their usual quoting of unidentified media outlets - which goes up with their "some people are saying..." journalism.

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  85. Thank god people are paying attention to how bad the different networks reporting and source checking has been.

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  86. Sad to say, but that type of inaccurate reporting is somewhat expected with the networks trying to get that "exclusive." I don't believe most people particularly give a damn who puts it out first. Just put out the gist of what's happened, and put it out right when they have the facts.

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    1. The problem with that in broadcasting is that the audience won't stand (or sit) there long enough just to get the facts. So, the first one to "get the story" even if it is mangled, often wins.

      First, they get quoted for "breaking news" and, second, they prevent for a limited time, "channel surfing" when people want to know the news "NOW!"

      People "just can't wait." Therein lies the trouble. "You snooze, you lose." If you thought for a second that Fox or CBS or NBC, ABC, CNN, MSNBC had "more" of the story, you'd be there really fast. Human nature. Happens all the time. The leader gets the lion's share. Right or wrong.

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  87. The best part of the CNN gaffe is that John King literally said, "I ran here from my source to get this news out first." So..... He's a walking sitcom where the guy says, "We got 'em....."

    "WOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOO JOHN KING FOR PRESIDENT OF NEWS!! SUCK IT COOPER!!" then runs off to Blitzer while his source ends with "...candlesticks as a wedding gift. Don't you think Luke and Laura will just looooove them?"

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  88. I was most impressed by John King's attempt to shift blame for his misreporting on 'once-but-no-longer' reliable sources.

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  89. I guess the New York Post is already too much of a joke to call out for being a terrible hot mess. Is that why you didn't mention it?

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  90. So begins the Jeff Zucker era at CNN. Heckuva job, babe.

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    1. It began on a day long story about a Carnival Cruise filled with poop in the hallways of all decks, remember? What an auspicious start.

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    2. missed your post, 2:20 PM, but yeah, this is what they've all become.

      my ex works in national sales for cable tv in nyc. i've spent time with the folks who do the buying and selling. it's disgusting. i can't even speak to any of them, but she could with ease. in fact, she married one. but they're as much the reason we have news on tv the way we do. - dw

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  91. They DID, however, win the most important demographics (25-54) last Friday when it was most important. They are still relevant, but the Breaking News stuff does get overdone, more than it needs to be. FOX is just as bad, when Megan Kelly interns "This is a Fox News Alert" every 2.5 minutes, as does Greta. Everything is Breaking News it seems.

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  92. The ink on this blog isn't dry yet and after this well deserved rant, the CNN logo is ruined forever now

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  93. If I were CNN, after reading this blog, I would be dreadfully embarrassed to say the least.

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  94. I think a number of you have come to expect too much from the cable news channels in the first place. If you read the papers, or other sources, you should be informed enough. These outlets have basically been forced to become entertainment outlets competing for dollars.

    It all changed when Jeff Zucker decided to run a "DATELINE NBC: Michael Jackson" special during sweeps in 2002 or 2003. That's pretty much about the time when News officially died, and they had to become entertainment outlets.

    So I take them all with a grain of salt. I watch them for MAYBE a combined 60 minutes in a 7 day period. And that's a high end for me.

    You can find your own news if you want it, or at least I do/can. - DW

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  95. Fox News is the worst culprit but it always softens the blow when you look up and see a short skirt and legs a mile long.

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    1. More rack than leg. Rarely do I see a leg. -dw

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  96. I used to get really pissed at the use of "breaking news" on news items that had been reported for the last several hours.

    Then it got to where news items from the previous evening would show up as "breaking news the next morning."

    Um , seems to me that nes breaks once. After that, it's "developing news but that doesn't have cachet.

    So we're going to be seeing every news item preceded by "breaking news?" As in "BREAKING NEWS! BART is delayed!" "BREAKING NEW! Only 20 more days to Bay to Breakers!"

    The news directors ought to be flogged for this! Rich, could you call them for comment?

    Sheesh!

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