CNN has announced a series of major policy changes which will greatly shift public perception of the Arab-Israel conflict in general, and the role of Palestinian suicide bombers in particular.
This week, CNN.com unveiled a special section devoted to Israeli victims of terror. It features victims' names, bios and description of the attack, a timeline of terror attacks, a chart featuring the equivalent death ratios in other countries, and interviews with a victim's family. See it at:
http://www.cnn.com/victimsofterror/
Meanwhile, CNN's Wolf Blitzer is in Israel this week doing special reports on Israeli victims of terror, to be broadcast on primetime on CNN International every evening.
CNN even set up a special email box for viewers to write - terrorvictims@cnn.com.
CNN will go to extremes to avoid any suggestion of moral equivalence between terrorists and their victims.
Eason Jordan, CNN's Chief News Executive, who also flew to Israel, announced that he has issued a directive ordering staff to "go to extremes" to avoid any impression the company sees moral equivalence between terror victims and their attackers. (This on the heels of President Bush's speech placing the blame for the region's ills squarely on Arafat’s shoulders.)
CNN has also announced that, barring an "extraordinarily compelling situation," CNN will refuse to air any videotape or statements of suicide bombers or their families. This aligns CNN with the widespread media policy against broadcasting videotaped statements by Osama Bin Laden.
The dramatic CNN turnaround can be attributed to two factors:
- Pressure from media-watch groups like HonestReporting.com.
Eason Jordan, the chief news executive of CNN, was quoted in The New York Times as saying that he could find up to 6,000 e-mail messages protesting coverage in his in-box in a single day.
- Recent public relations disasters at CNN, for example:
In an interview published last week in the UK Guardian, CNN founder Ted Turner accused Israel of “terrorism" against the Palestinians.
CNN issued a statement saying that Turner "has no operational or editorial oversight of CNN" and was speaking for himself. Without excusing the stupidity of Turner's comments, CNN noted that his comments were made two months ago, at the height of the Jenin media frenzy, and Turner has since backtracked.
To the family's shock, CNN devoted the bulk of the interview to the mother of the terrorist.
[The Guardian, by the way, should be taken for task for misreporting on June 18 when the Turner interview took place: "Ted Turner, the billionaire founder of CNN, accuses Israel today (sic) of engaging in 'terrorism' against the Palestinians."]
Another PR nightmare occurred in May when CNN interviewed an Israeli woman whose mother and daughter were tragically killed by a Palestinian suicide bomber. To the family's shock, CNN International broadcast only a short snippet of the interview, and devoted the bulk of the time to an interview with the mother of the terrorist who carried out the mass murder.
Within days, CNN had backtracked. They broadcast the Israeli interview in full and issued a statement that "CNN deeply regrets any extra anguish the [Israeli] family has suffered as a result of CNN's broadcast... It was a mistake not to air the full international version of the interview immediately..."
Now for the Bad News
We find a "different story" in the reports filed by Mike Hanna, Jerrold Kessel, Christiane Amanpour, Rula Amin and other CNN correspondents in the region. For example, Sheila MacVicar's first report from last week's Gilo bombing, as the burnt bodies were being removed from the bus, noted that Palestinians consider Gilo an "illegal settlement."
(In fact, the blast didn't take place in Gilo, but rather within pre-1967 Jerusalem, or at least in "no-man's land." But either way, MacVicar's reference to "illegal settlement" gives an element of legitimacy to this mass murder.)
As burnt bodies were being removed from the bus, CNN noted that Palestinians consider Gilo an illegal settlement.
We suspect that CNN policy is often driven by the foreign bureaus, rather than by CNN's headquarters. As senior CNN executives visit Israel this week, we hope and expect that to change.
The following are some recent actions taken by CNN-Atlanta to challenge or correct reporting from its Mideast reporters:
-- In April, when Palestinian spokesman Saeb Erekat claimed that 500 Palestinians were massacred in Jenin, Atlanta-based anchor Bill Hemmer demanded to see proof, and challenged him: If [Israel's] numbers are right and your initial numbers are wrong, will you come back here on our network and retract what you said?"
Erekat replied: "Absolutely." (Though we are still waiting for that public retraction on CNN.)
-- On April 16, the height of the media frenzy in Jenin, CNN's U.S.-based anchors repeatedly challenged CNN correspondent Rula Amin and a UN official, reminding them that no proof had been presented of a massacre.
CNN's Daryn Kagan, for example, told Rula Amin: "Clearly what we are looking at is a different perception here. Rula, I am sure, as we can see from the pictures, a number of homes have been destroyed. But the Israelis would point out that they believe there were gunman and fighters holing out in those houses, and that's why they had to be attacked so fiercely."
-- On April 9, New York-based anchor, Paula Zahn, interrupted Rula Amin's report: "All right, Rula, by the same token, the Israelis argue there's a very good reason why they went into Jenin in the first place, that they know that men who are very active in the Palestinian Authority's violence against Israel are located there."
THE FUTURE?
While we are encouraged by the positive developments, CNN still has a long way to go to restore the trust of the consumer public. CNN's coverage has already led many viewers to switch to competitors, and in Israel, the local cable company announced last week that it will begin carrying Fox News.
And there are more unresolved problems. For example, CNN's bio of Yasser Arafat woefully under-reports his history of terror. "I am one of the victims," CNN quotes Arafat as saying. See the bio:
Recommendations for media activists:
- Continue to monitor CNN's coverage.
- Discuss CNN's coverage with your local cable station directors and advertisers.
- Email polite criticism and comments to CNN. Praise as well as complain, when appropriate. Send to: Eason.Jordan@Turner.com
(12) jennifer, April 28, 2003 12:00 AM
CNN now might as well merge with Al Jazeera
I have stopped watching CNN completely. Rula Amin continues with smug gloating satisfaction her coverage of the anti America protests by Iraqis. She hates America, she hates George Bush and the Israelis. It's written on her face.
(11) Anonymous, March 29, 2003 12:00 AM
Paula Zahn should be fired
The cnn T.V. coverage of the Iraqi War has been very negative, and in several cases, downright wrong or highly exaggerated. Paula Zahn heads the list.I am watching Fox from now on for objectivity. Paula Zahn should be fired or demoted. thank goodness she is no longer on Fox
(10) Anonymous, July 22, 2002 12:00 AM
singled out
Absolutely love CNN.However you have a few problems such as Christiane Amanporer,she did great reporting in Afghanistan but failed miserably while reporting in Israel she came across Pro Palistinian, thought my channel had switched over to Geroldo on Fox news,the fair and balanced station {Ha.Ha}that sure not my opinion.I think Cnn has been singled out by some higher powers.CNN as a whole has tried to be fair with its broadcasting,we are not always perfect.As for Ted Turner he needs an attitude ajustment and a few history lessons,However agnostic might be the problem.
(9) avid, July 15, 2002 12:00 AM
fox bias
I am a british Jew and feel compasion for israel. But Right wing channels like fox are blatantly rascist and leaves a bad taste in my mouth with its biased reporting.
I feel both sides ( palestian's & israelies. But with all this propaganda we wont reach peace.
(8) LILLIAN GROGIN, July 1, 2002 12:00 AM
JUST SHOW US
HOPE THAT ALL YOU PROMISE WILL BE
FORTH COMING
(7) Earl Cairns, July 1, 2002 12:00 AM
Thank you for this good news. It is about time that CNN got the message. I had given up on CNN and still turn to FOX first. Keep the pressure rolling. Thanks
(6) Mike Rand, July 1, 2002 12:00 AM
Victims of Terror shown in USA????
It has been reported in Israel that "Victims of Terror" was not shown in the USA. Is that correct?
(5) Anonymous, July 1, 2002 12:00 AM
Al-Aqsa Intifada????
Please note that the sensitive new CNN Timeline refers to the current terror as the AL-AQSA Intifada. Why not the OSLO Intifada, or some other suitable name. Let's not be too quick to pat CNN on the back.
(4) Lee Deems, July 1, 2002 12:00 AM
CNN still has problems
Apparently CNN reporters, for the most part, fail to challenge the propaganda efforts of some of the Palestinians they interview. Erekat when asked a questions by Blitzer starts a rambling no-responsive answer stating that which he wants to get across, regardless of the question asked. Blitzer makes no attempt to stop him and return him to the subject matter. There are many with the same problem, most notably Tim Russert on NBC's Meet the Press.
(3) Cynthia Toby Savell, June 30, 2002 12:00 AM
They lost a viewer
Although I am certain that CNN will not miss me, if there are enough of us who no longer watch that channel and no longer subscribe to their computer news network, maybe they will get the message. I do not believe that they have "got it" yet; what they are doing is only window dressing in response to the Jewish reaction to them.
Given that Ted Turner is still involved and he is an anti-semite with an ego problem that rivals the worst ever seen, his actions are downright repulsive. If he believes in the Palestinians so much, I invite him to move there and witness their terrorism first hand. I for one will not miss him.
(2) george solot, June 30, 2002 12:00 AM
Thankz for telling it the right way...
Your story on CNN was just great..Now if it would only make it to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
(1) Anonymous, June 30, 2002 12:00 AM
Arab-Israeli Conflict HIstory
We must recognize that there are additional Arab Nations who supported the 13,421 attacks against Israel; 6,358 from the West Bank + 6,470 from the Gaza strip; 1,500 shooting attacks; 6000 attacks on IDF outposts; 300 fired antitank grenades at Isaeli targets; 500 mortar and rocket attacks on Jewish communities; 72 suicide bomber attacks on Israeli's which has resulted in the murder of 561 (385 civilians +176 Security Forces) 4,208 injured (2,992 Israeli civilians + 1,216 Security Forces).
Financial aid for Palestinian terrorism came from the UN, UNWRA, EU, USA, Canada, Britain and the Arab League of Nations. Should we tell them to study Genesis 12:2-3 and Leviticus 26: 32-33.
Are the Palestinians (Philistines or Philistinians) intelligent enough or able to grasp that they are on the list of terrorist regimes of the world? Since these terrorists are civilians that hide behind this umbrella, all Palestinian civilians can also be considered illegal militia carrying arms and weapons of various caliber.
As for these CNN journalists as mentioned they have limited careers as journalists. You should add Robert Novak from Crossfire on the list.
The recent decline in Yasser Arafat's medical condition was reported by the Italian weekly Panorama which is owned by Prime Minister Berlusconi, which stated, " Arafat suffers from memory loss, accompanied by mental confusion, to such a degree that sometimes he does not recognize his close aides. He is subject to fits of anger, and his associates have removed the clips from his pistol so that he does not harm them or himself. the medication he was taking to calm himself no longer works."
Arafat is now assisted by two aides, "who help him to complete sentences and remind him of names and dates." His advisors have decided to limit his contacts with journalists so that they will not report on his condition.
This is no surprize to the real world of honest reporting.