A friend sent me this critical op-ed of CNN’s coverage of the current Israeli war on Lebanon. I recommend reading it.
I wonder what Fox News is up to?
0 thoughts on “CNN’s Lebanon Problem”
I think a particularly interesting part of that editorial is his reference to the difference between CNN USA and CNN International. At the office here, CNN International is on all the time so I’ve been watching the Lebanon coverage pretty steadily for the last several days. While I do have issues with their coverage — the perceived equivalence between Hezbollah’s attacks and Israel’s, overly focusing on 8 dead in Haifa vs. dozens in say Tyre, etc… — they are certainly covering the civilian casualties, reporting the toll every 10-15 minutes. They’ve also had some pretty heart wrenching segments shot from Lebanese hospitals, including a beautiful child, all bandaged up in a hospital bed, looking at the camera in hurt confusion and asking (in excellent English) “but what did we do wrong?” I wonder if that kind of thing airs in US version of CNN. The few times the US anchors get broadcast on CNN International, the bimbo factor soars, as do the stupid comments. I’m curious what the impact of the many American accents from Lebanese-Americans fleeing the country is having on the US population as they see some of their own affected by these attacks.
I don’t watch and therefore can’t speak to the programs mentioned in the editorial.
I’ve been watching CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 show for the past several nights. Each night, he has stated the deaths on both sides, multiple times. The show has been broadcast from Haifa, Beirut, and Cyprus. Throughout the week, the show has increasingly focused on Lebanon. The program has clearly conveyed the humanitarian disaster unfolding in Lebanon.
In general, they don’t show graphic images of the dead. This doesn’t detract from their coverage. Just two bodies, both Lebanese, have been shown. A Hezbollah representative pointed them out a “tour” of Beirut. The show clearly illustrates the devastation to the residential apartment buildings and other structures.
I’ve read numerous blog posts (including some by Americans) that the US media is self-censoring coverage of this war. I’d blame the information consumers rather than the providers. The information is readily available through television news, newspapers, and the Internet. Just stay away from the Jesusland network.
I’ve watched CNN (US) occasionally over the last several days, and they haven’t been too bad. Their correspondent Nic Robertson is fairly straightforward, though you won’t see gruesome pictures of injured and killed civilians. It’s the anchors that ruin it with their moronic “commentary” – “and let us remember that Tyre has been conflict-ridden since the time of Alexander” and the usual Paula Zahn bimbette shit.
Paul – the media have been interviewing American students and Lebanese-Americans who have returned to the US, but I haven’t heard them say much more than “we were frightened” and the like. The Guardian’s Brian Whitaker had a sardonic little piece a day or two ago about how the British media were disappointed to see so many “un-British looking” evacuees getting off the ships from Lebanon. They did aid that segment showing the little girl in a hospital bed speaking in perfect English on CNN here though.
Here’s a longer version of the CNN story from yesterday with the little girl – I think the CNN reporters on the ground are quite fair, even if the anchors are not.
If anyone’s wondering how CNN is doing at covering the war in Lebanon, one of their advertised angles for the next hour is whether or not it represents the end of the world as outlined in the Revelation in the Bible.
While CNN reportage does still frame the conflict in Lebanon in terms of “a region always at war” and “terrorists firing missiles across the border,” and Israelis speaking American English (from military officers to government spokespersons) play very well on American TV, it’s interesting to see that the Lebanese govt has also got some smooth English speakers speaking to American media now, and TV reporters have had the occasional interview with tight-shirted, Eurotrash-y English-speaking Lebanese youth. Hate to be flip, but it must make the Lebanese more sympathetic in American eyes than, say, peasant Iraqi muhaggabat beating their chests.
Exactly. I hate to put it that way as well, but so much of this conflict is PR and world opinion and it’s important to get those worthy victims (those ones that sound like us and we can all relate to) on TV to humanize the victims.
Anchor chit chat can be pretty painful, though the anchors on CNN International seem to be a little smarter. It’s kinda funny when a particularly clueless anchor asks an incredibly asinine question to one of the better correspondents like Ben Wedeman or Aneesh Raman, and just for a split second you see them thinking “what?!?! who is this person?”
I think a particularly interesting part of that editorial is his reference to the difference between CNN USA and CNN International. At the office here, CNN International is on all the time so I’ve been watching the Lebanon coverage pretty steadily for the last several days. While I do have issues with their coverage — the perceived equivalence between Hezbollah’s attacks and Israel’s, overly focusing on 8 dead in Haifa vs. dozens in say Tyre, etc… — they are certainly covering the civilian casualties, reporting the toll every 10-15 minutes.
They’ve also had some pretty heart wrenching segments shot from Lebanese hospitals, including a beautiful child, all bandaged up in a hospital bed, looking at the camera in hurt confusion and asking (in excellent English) “but what did we do wrong?”
I wonder if that kind of thing airs in US version of CNN. The few times the US anchors get broadcast on CNN International, the bimbo factor soars, as do the stupid comments.
I’m curious what the impact of the many American accents from Lebanese-Americans fleeing the country is having on the US population as they see some of their own affected by these attacks.
I don’t watch and therefore can’t speak to the programs mentioned in the editorial.
I’ve been watching CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 show for the past several nights. Each night, he has stated the deaths on both sides, multiple times. The show has been broadcast from Haifa, Beirut, and Cyprus. Throughout the week, the show has increasingly focused on Lebanon. The program has clearly conveyed the humanitarian disaster unfolding in Lebanon.
In general, they don’t show graphic images of the dead. This doesn’t detract from their coverage. Just two bodies, both Lebanese, have been shown. A Hezbollah representative pointed them out a “tour” of Beirut. The show clearly illustrates the devastation to the residential apartment buildings and other structures.
I’ve read numerous blog posts (including some by Americans) that the US media is self-censoring coverage of this war. I’d blame the information consumers rather than the providers. The information is readily available through television news, newspapers, and the Internet. Just stay away from the Jesusland network.
I’ve watched CNN (US) occasionally over the last several days, and they haven’t been too bad. Their correspondent Nic Robertson is fairly straightforward, though you won’t see gruesome pictures of injured and killed civilians. It’s the anchors that ruin it with their moronic “commentary” – “and let us remember that Tyre has been conflict-ridden since the time of Alexander” and the usual Paula Zahn bimbette shit.
Paul – the media have been interviewing American students and Lebanese-Americans who have returned to the US, but I haven’t heard them say much more than “we were frightened” and the like. The Guardian’s Brian Whitaker had a sardonic little piece a day or two ago about how the British media were disappointed to see so many “un-British looking” evacuees getting off the ships from Lebanon. They did aid that segment showing the little girl in a hospital bed speaking in perfect English on CNN here though.
Here’s a longer version of the CNN story from yesterday with the little girl – I think the CNN reporters on the ground are quite fair, even if the anchors are not.
http://edition.cnn.com/2006/WORLD/meast/07/21/perry.tyre
I just got this email:
If anyone’s wondering how CNN is doing at covering the war in Lebanon, one of their advertised angles for the next hour is whether or not it represents the end of the world as outlined in the Revelation in the Bible.
While CNN reportage does still frame the conflict in Lebanon in terms of “a region always at war” and “terrorists firing missiles across the border,” and Israelis speaking American English (from military officers to government spokespersons) play very well on American TV, it’s interesting to see that the Lebanese govt has also got some smooth English speakers speaking to American media now, and TV reporters have had the occasional interview with tight-shirted, Eurotrash-y English-speaking Lebanese youth. Hate to be flip, but it must make the Lebanese more sympathetic in American eyes than, say, peasant Iraqi muhaggabat beating their chests.
Exactly. I hate to put it that way as well, but so much of this conflict is PR and world opinion and it’s important to get those worthy victims (those ones that sound like us and we can all relate to) on TV to humanize the victims.
Anchor chit chat can be pretty painful, though the anchors on CNN International seem to be a little smarter. It’s kinda funny when a particularly clueless anchor asks an incredibly asinine question to one of the better correspondents like Ben Wedeman or Aneesh Raman, and just for a split second you see them thinking “what?!?! who is this person?”