CNN Just Lost All of Its Credibility

Gatekeeper · June 18, 2002, 14:40

Everyone:

... at least in the eyes of certain people. The news network's founder, Ted Turner, has just accused Israel of committing terrorism.

Jesus H. Christ. FOX News is right-wing, the impression that CNN is a liberal bastion just got burnished big-time and I don't watch CNBC. Where the hell can a person go in America to get balanced international news coverage from television?

Frickin' A. More and more I find myself relying on newspaper copy (in the actual paper and on the raw news wires) and the Internet to get a mix of news and viewpoints on various situations. If you wanna be indunated in how that Utah kidnapping case is going, or to get op-ed pieces in "news" programs, turn to CNN or FOX.

Gatekeeper

chequita guevara · June 18, 2002, 14:43

Israel does committ terrorism. This makes CNN lose it's credibility to you?

DinoDoc · June 18, 2002, 14:43

Link?

Kropotkin · June 18, 2002, 14:44

CNN is considered liberal!?

DinoDoc · June 18, 2002, 14:46

Quote:

Originally posted by Kropotkin
CNN is considered liberal!?

Scary, isn't it?

Bereta_Eder · June 18, 2002, 14:46

CNN has not lost credibility Amazon

Turner just expressed an opinion, which is frankly, not only his own but can be found in the minds of many otherpeople as well.

Boris Godunov · June 18, 2002, 14:47

Turner's opinion doesn't equate to that being the opinion of the network, unlike Fox News, which is Murdoch's mouthpiece. He's entitled to express his opinions. Why should the ruin CNN's credibility? I think the reporting on CNN has been very even-handed regarding the ME.

chequita guevara · June 18, 2002, 14:49

Even-handed my ass. It's just less pro-Israel than most.

Gatekeeper · June 18, 2002, 14:54

DinoDoc:

CNN itself just mentioned it in passing. A 15-second piece or so ... although they might have something on their Web site shortly.

Gatekeeper

***

Chegitz:

I said some people. I happen to tune in on CNN and FOX now and then and will continue to do so. But I get the "straight" stuff from the news wires at work and from the Associated Press Web site.

Gatekeeper

Gatekeeper · June 18, 2002, 14:55

Paiktis:

True, but as a journalist I've been told in no uncertain terms to never let my *personal* feelings on an issue affect my quality of work. That same principle should hold true for the "kings" and "queens" of journalism as well, not just for us "groundpounders."

Gatekeeper

Victor Galis · June 18, 2002, 14:56

CNN has credibility?

I don't trust any American media company. They're all part of the evil conservative conspiracy

Besides, the BBC is so much better.

Pythagoras · June 18, 2002, 14:57

All cable news has turned into crazy patriotic crap after sept 11 and due to tons of competition. Though I have to say CNN is the most respectable, Dont judge them based on Turner who doesnt even own them.

I used to like MSNBC, slowly theyve gone downhill

Remmeber that computer graphic commentator guy, I miss him

Pythagoras · June 18, 2002, 14:58

Quote:

Originally posted by Victor Galis
CNN has credibility?

I don't trust any American media company. They're all part of the evil conservative conspiracy

Besides, the BBC is so much better.

I agree. BBC and NPR have the best news by far. Though they are less respected in their field unfortunately

Eli · June 18, 2002, 14:58

Quote:

Originally posted by Victor Galis
CNN has credibility?

That's my line.

Bereta_Eder · June 18, 2002, 15:00

Quote:

Originally posted by Gatekeeper
Paiktis:

True, but as a journalist I've been told in no uncertain terms to never let my *personal* feelings on an issue affect my quality of work. That same principle should hold true for the "kings" and "queens" of journalism as well, not just for us "groundpounders."

Gatekeeper

This is the paramount principle of journalism, yes.

But isn't Turner out of the loop now?
Meaning that he doesn't hold any position in there any more?

After the merger of Time Warner with AOL didn't he quit from his post?

Not sure, just asking.

DinoDoc · June 18, 2002, 15:01

Quote:

Originally posted by chegitz guevara
Even-handed my ass. It's just less pro-Israel than most.

Oh please.

You wouldn't consider any news organization evenhanded unless they were the equivilant of the Direct Action for Justice in Palestine.

Victor Galis · June 18, 2002, 15:01

I admit NPR is a decent American news source that can be trusted... I forgot about them because I mainly get my news from the internet. (Including a Romanian newspaper whose name translates into The Truth).

Carver · June 18, 2002, 15:02

Quote:

Originally posted by Gatekeeper
Paiktis:

True, but as a journalist I've been told in no uncertain terms to never let my *personal* feelings on an issue affect my quality of work. That same principle should hold true for the "kings" and "queens" of journalism as well, not just for us "groundpounders."

Gatekeeper

The fact that Israel is a terrorist nation is not a "personal feeling", it is fact. Israel murders Palestinians everyday. Israeli agents bombed a nuclear reactor under construction in France for Iraq. Israeli agents kill citizens from around the world that they deem to be invovled in arms deals with Arab nations. IDF soldiers were told to put a bullet through every window during their latest invasion of the West Bank. What is that?...terrorism. Israel was founded on terror and terror has been one of its principal weapons throughout its history.

Faboba · June 18, 2002, 15:04

'What credibility?'

****... already said....

Ok then, how about 'It's not terrorism, just a pre-meditated violent, vengeful strike against civilian targets ( which I happen to support but that's beside the point. )

Sava · June 18, 2002, 15:04

NPR can be trusted more than any other American media source. CNN, Fox, MSNBC are basically the voices of their owners, NOT reliable objective sources. CNN and Fox are very conservative.

Victor Galis · June 18, 2002, 15:07

"Ok then, how about 'It's not terrorism, just a pre-meditated violent, vengeful strike against civilian targets ( which I happen to support but that's beside the point. )"

-I'd call that total war, but then they should just go all out and be done with it.

Bereta_Eder · June 18, 2002, 15:07

Besides, Gatekeeper, a journalist can express his opinion sometimes. as in an editorial.
where it is explicitly clear that that's what he's doing.

I remember seeing Christiane Amanpour express her (or at least CNN's ) "opinion" more than once... and it was not an editorial...

Az · June 18, 2002, 15:10

Yes! you're right! why oh why did Israel bombard the nuclear reactor! I wish that Saddam Hussein would get nuclear weapons too! so he could bomb the **** out of those evil je.. err. zionists! because they're evil you know! not unlike the friendly arab nations that are taking care of their citizens and preaching for world peace. Damn those Israelis. if only Saddam could get his hands on a nuke... he would show them, he's not a coward like all those other stupid regimes. he would show them! He's my hero .

Gatekeeper · June 18, 2002, 15:14

Paiktis:

I don't think Turner is associated in an ownership role with CNN anymore ... that was all lost in the merger with Time Warner/AOL. But still ... can somebody involved with journalism ever be disassociated from it when they have a big name, like Turner does? If he had said his piece on an op-ed page in a newspaper or in an Internet column or in a magazine piece, it'd be different. But just hearing about it from CNN first kind of throws me for a loop.

As for expressing opinions, I don't think we can even write letters to the editor where I work. The op-ed is put together by the publisher, executive editor and associate editor with some input from a board of outside citizens.

Gatekeeper

Shi Huangdi · June 18, 2002, 15:15

Fox isn't THAT bad............ And Ted Turner has a right to an opinion. Him having one doesn't mean his network is going to have biased reporting.

Arrian · June 18, 2002, 15:16

I don't bother with TV news. It's usually crapola.

-Arrian

Bereta_Eder · June 18, 2002, 15:20

Gatekeeper,
but you surely have editorials and columns in which a journalist can write his own opinion (based on what he knows) about all aspects of political life, domestic and international.

Usually these slots are reserved to the older and more experienced journalists.

As to if Turner has a right to express a personal opinion considering his career in the US, it's up for discussion.

IMO it would be more correct to write a full editorial about it than just make a statement if that's what he did.

but, hey, you have murdoch telling the world that he opposes the UK's entry to the eurozone of all things.. how's that for power whoredom

Bereta_Eder · June 18, 2002, 15:22

besides the laughing stock of the world remains Fox News

Faboba · June 18, 2002, 15:23

Quote:

Originally posted by Victor Galis
"Ok then, how about 'It's not terrorism, just a pre-meditated violent, vengeful strike against civilian targets ( which I happen to support but that's beside the point. )"

-I'd call that total war, but then they should just go all out and be done with it.

I don't totally support but I understand it. They don't really want total war but each time Israeli citizens get attacked by insane suicide bombers Israel sends out its gunships to take revenge. It seems fair enough.

You can argue that 'the terrorists aren't acting on behalf of the Palestinian people' but if they really felt that way they should take action to stop them not just sit about doing this 'It wasnae us, I wash my hand of it' crap. The idea seems to be this will 'encourage' them.

Personally, though I can't condone this as a good course of action, if I was an Israeli citizen I can garuntee it would make me feel one hell of a lot better, especially if I'd had friends or family killed in any of these cowardly acts of terrorism commited by Palestine.

Bereta_Eder · June 18, 2002, 15:24

here it is BTW

Israel, Palestinians both guilty of terrorism, Ted Turner says
Tue Jun 18, 2:54 PM ET

LONDON - Israel and the Palestinians are both guilty of terrorism, CNN founder Ted Turner said in an interview published Tuesday in a British newspaper.

Turner was quoted by The Guardian as saying Israel and the Palestinians were "both terrorizing each other."

"The Palestinians are fighting with human suicide bombers; that's all they have," Turner was quoted as saying in a wide-ranging interview.

"The Israelis ... they've got one of the most powerful military machines in the world. The Palestinians have nothing. So who are the terrorists? I would make a case that both sides are engaged in terrorism."

An Israeli government spokesman quoted by the newspaper said Turner's remarks were "stupid."

"My only advice to Ted Turner is if people assume you are stupid, it is just best to keep your mouth shut rather than open your mouth and confirm everyone in that view," government spokesman Daniel Seaman said, according to the newspaper.

In the United States, the Simon Wiesenthal Center on Tuesday condemned Turner's comment. "His remarks are obscene and over the line," said Rabbi Marvin Hier, the dean and founder of the center, one of the largest international Jewish human rights organizations.

"To criticize Israeli policy is fair game," Hier said, "but to draw a moral equivalency between Israel's right to self-defense and the tactics of suicide bombers who deliberately set out to murder and maim innocent men, women and children is outrageous and a new low, even for Ted Turner."

Palestinian labor minister Ghasan Khaleb was quoted by The Guardian as saying Turner's comments reflected "a more consistent approach" to the Middle East situation.

Turner, the 63-year-old vice chairman of AOL Time Warner, has dispersed large chunks of his dlrs 3.8 billion fortune to charity, including a dlrs 1 billion gift to United Nations ( news - web sites) causes.

In February, he was criticized after he told an audience at Brown University in Rhode Island that the men who flew hijacked planes into the World Trade Center and Pentagon ( news - web sites) on Sept. 11 were "brave" but "a little nuts."

"The reason that the World Trade Center got hit is because there are a lot of people living in abject poverty out there who don't have any hope for a better life," Turner said then.

(twx/ej)