Now we know just why oaths are so important, and why perjury is punished so severely. Without Truth, everything becomes chaos, and without a strong RELIGIOUS foundation, there is no way to discern truth from a lie, on any reliable basis.
4
The substantial majority of the Times' readers are liberal. Probably an even larger percentage of commenters are left-of-center.
On August 24th, Nicholas Kristof published a column "We’re Journalists, Mr. Trump, Not the Enemy." Though I didn't count, I would guess about a third of the commenters expressed the opinion that much of the mainstream media, including the Times and CNN, were biased, and had lost credibility.
Reading the comments to this article, it looks rather similar. A substantial fraction of writers express the opinion that much of the press has taken on a bias, and lost believability.
Will the editors and journalists of the Times (and CNN and the Washington Post, etc) get the message?
Time will tell.
On August 24th, Nicholas Kristof published a column "We’re Journalists, Mr. Trump, Not the Enemy." Though I didn't count, I would guess about a third of the commenters expressed the opinion that much of the mainstream media, including the Times and CNN, were biased, and had lost credibility.
Reading the comments to this article, it looks rather similar. A substantial fraction of writers express the opinion that much of the press has taken on a bias, and lost believability.
Will the editors and journalists of the Times (and CNN and the Washington Post, etc) get the message?
Time will tell.
16
It is surprising and quite hopeful the large number of MSM bashers who obviously read the NYT. At least they will have some exposure to facts. I frequently check in on Rush Limbaugh and Fox news and sadly, never find anything but right-wing propaganda, half truths and out-right lies
7
Brilliant reporting. Thank you for this story.
While I generally agree with the sentiments posted here that CNN is overzealous and often blatantly biased, we are living in a Fox world. Nevertheless, I think the integrity of those at CNN that came forward to get to share their perspective and insights of this story points to the fact that they want to the truth to prevail; even if their cooperation was orchestrated by Mr. Zucker.
While I generally agree with the sentiments posted here that CNN is overzealous and often blatantly biased, we are living in a Fox world. Nevertheless, I think the integrity of those at CNN that came forward to get to share their perspective and insights of this story points to the fact that they want to the truth to prevail; even if their cooperation was orchestrated by Mr. Zucker.
4
I stopped trusting CNN a long time ago. And this article shows another reason why they are not to be trusted - they fired the reporters even though the article was "materially true!"
Their apology blaming three reporters reeks of using a small mistake to get rid of reporters hired before Bezos took over. That $600 million deal between Bezos and the CIA bought a smear campaign against reporters, especially Thomas Frank, who have been willing to criticize the CIA.
Subtly and not-so-subtly, Bezos is making the Washington Post more and more a parrot or press relations agent for the CIA on political matters. This is part of a long-time tradition of the press conforming to their rich owners views - e.g. WSJ, and the soon-to-change NY Daily News. There are still some accurate outlets e.g The Intercept, Jimmy Dore, Redacted Tonight, who have been or will soon be smeared by their mainstream competitors for made-up errors. They are not perfect, but at least they admit their few real mistakes - and they are far more informative than the persistent corporate drumbeat of the MSM.
Their apology blaming three reporters reeks of using a small mistake to get rid of reporters hired before Bezos took over. That $600 million deal between Bezos and the CIA bought a smear campaign against reporters, especially Thomas Frank, who have been willing to criticize the CIA.
Subtly and not-so-subtly, Bezos is making the Washington Post more and more a parrot or press relations agent for the CIA on political matters. This is part of a long-time tradition of the press conforming to their rich owners views - e.g. WSJ, and the soon-to-change NY Daily News. There are still some accurate outlets e.g The Intercept, Jimmy Dore, Redacted Tonight, who have been or will soon be smeared by their mainstream competitors for made-up errors. They are not perfect, but at least they admit their few real mistakes - and they are far more informative than the persistent corporate drumbeat of the MSM.
5
If the news media wonders how come the public distrusts them, the news media needs only to read about this CNN story retraction. plus their earlier story screwup in early June. Such problems could not come at a worse time in our political narrative, with a lying President who makes up his own fake news in order to gain political advantage.
6
With Trump at the head of the country any kind of mistake pales - he lies all the time - give the reporters a break - there is holier than thou when it comes to dealing with Trump
5
What can it mean for any of us in our daily lives that a media person, in a position of power, states that their media will not tolerate selected types of mistakes, as if whatever else has been transmitted, by print, image and sound, is a not to be questioned "fact?'In a daily reality in which both "facts" and "alt facts" are. constructed by a range of visible as well as hidden stakeholders?What are the implications of acknowledging that a media "failed in their duty to enlighten,"when the process of moving from a selected relevant item (data) for the media, is processed into some type of information (enabling us to know, at some level and quality),which we, the targets, may not be adequately helped to adequately understand its actual, potential meanings, implications and consequences. For now. For later.What can a flawed human arrogance mean when a shameless mantra-" seek truth" is transmitted as if there is indeed ONE truth that can be discovered? Scooped! What does it mean when a guideline asserts "holding the powerful accountable" in a dynamic culture in which actually being personally responsible for what one does, who ever one is, which has hurt, violated, harmed, or not doing whatever could have helped, are little more than letters following one another into words?Concepts.Asserted but not lived in processes.CNN was able to retract.Is the daily, toxic, infectious willful blindness,deafness, ignorance which enables daily violations of people and values retractable?
This article reminds me of the Dan Rather "episode" from 2004, for which he was ultimately fired. Rather had a story casting G.W. Bush in a bad light, which he believed to be true - but used fake documents to support it. His desire (agenda) to take down Bush Jr. was greater than his will to follow ethical standards. This is the problem that the MSM as a whole is facing now. Their hatred of Trump is so great that they will publish any story that is negative about Trump whether it is true or not.
9
If you watch CNN for just a short while you can see what the problem is: they are relying on opinion more than facts. When their panelists seem to be some amalgamation of super spies and mind readers who can read the President's mind and, at the same time, assuredly know what is going on in secret in the White House you begin to realize that they are no longer a News organization but part of one party's political propaganda apparatus. I no longer watch and understand why the President attacks them.
8
CNN has basically already merged with the Democratic party. Almost all of their articles, true or not, are designed to cast either President Trump or the Republican party as a whole in a negative light. Just like the NYT, if the news is about a Democrat's (Senator Menendez, for example) corrupt behavior, they will not even mention that the person is a Democrat. Sadly they have destroyed their own credibility.
13
From the very beginning thinking Americans have thought that it is naked hypocrisy for our 1%, their bought-off major media propagandists and our ruled by the Left and democrat party academia to simultaneously embrace "open borders" global economic and societal integration with China and Mexico and other 3rd world one party dictatorships and oligarchies, but then ... because Hillary lost spin all manner of vague and dark allusions and accusations about treason and "collusion" with Russia. Because some Americans try to do business in Russia in precisely the way so many do in very Communist and hostile to freedom and human rights China, and talk to Russians as a routine matter of diplomacy and common courtesy - talk to Russian people who after all represent a major power that is the largest nation in the world. What we really need to do is investigate the rest of our political class and their business cronies who have for decades allowed our manufacturing base to be hollowed out and intellectual property worth trillions stolen by China, and for China to bar US goods when we are supposed to have a "free trade" pact. This surely is evidence of high treason on a massive scale. But curiously no one, particularly the NY Times or CNN seems interested in how decades of decisions so obviously harmful to common US citizens could have occurred without massive "collusion", and billions in campaign contributions and bribes "influence" of China on our elections and political process.
13
The media lies all day long and makes people exert the energy to correct them. But by then, the damage is done, the shrieking and FAKE headlines have moved on and so it works exactly as planned. Like publicly printing a story that Sarah Palin CAUSED Loughner to shoot Gabriel Giffords. The Times knew it was a lie, even six years after the fact. But it didn't stop them from printing it. Fake News is a feature, not a bug.
14
I've quit watching CNN
12
FTA:
"At CNN, executives took some time to regroup. Mr. Zucker vowed that the network would not be cowed by the Trump administration."
Oh, that is rich. The network that is clearly and blatantly on a mission to destroy the Trump presidency is whining like spoiled children who have to eat their vegetables before they get their dessert. "Any time we hit you, you deserve it. If you hit us back, you're a racist!!"
"At CNN, executives took some time to regroup. Mr. Zucker vowed that the network would not be cowed by the Trump administration."
Oh, that is rich. The network that is clearly and blatantly on a mission to destroy the Trump presidency is whining like spoiled children who have to eat their vegetables before they get their dessert. "Any time we hit you, you deserve it. If you hit us back, you're a racist!!"
13
The Trump presidency is destroying itself, along with the rest of the nation. It needs no help from the media. If you want to compare Trump's abuse of language to the media's, it's no contest: Every day, Trump issues lie after lie after lie, about things important and trivial. At least the media try to get things right and people are disciplined when they get things wrong. Trump cares not at all but says whatever he thinks should be true or just serves his warped purposes.
7
There were some very good people there! There's blame on both sides!
3
Even before the trumpster became president what award winning exposes were done on President Obama, or Clinton, or Gores campaign run, or HRC ? There is clearly a pattern with an agenda. It's not that Drudge, or Fox is great news, it's just the media has made it so obvious they don't care anyone but libs.
15
How soon we forget. What about the treatment of Clinton's peccadilloes by the press? Whitewater and his dalliances were thoroughly exposed. No exposés about Obama or Gore because there simply were no scandals. Mistakes and problems, sure, but nothing worthy of an "exposé."
9
I quit watching CNN when Heidi Collins left. Best decision ever.
I use to laugh at my in-laws for reading the National Enquirer. However, I am beginning to think NE is the most reputable news source now.
I use to laugh at my in-laws for reading the National Enquirer. However, I am beginning to think NE is the most reputable news source now.
7
"CNN’s elite investigations team "
LOL
There are so many things wrong with that phrase.
For starters it implies that the other investigation teams are not top notch?
Which, I for one, would certainly agree with.
LOL
There are so many things wrong with that phrase.
For starters it implies that the other investigation teams are not top notch?
Which, I for one, would certainly agree with.
10
Whats the big deal, yellow jounalism, media shaping public opinion has been arounf forever it seems. What is disturbing is that they no longer hide behind a veil of professionalism. It a appears journalists are now competing with nobody bloggers to get more people to read their tripe. Its pandering to the ignorant masses . People want dirt on Trump, not unemployment is lowering, jobs are being created, optimism in the bussiness sector or the lowering of the deficit. They care about his wifes heels, which their dare not talk about last years admintration in fear of being called racists. They no longer hide their hypocrisy. Fake news is news. The public hates the media more than trump and congress...that is really bad! It seems like we are in the midst of children in the media who are spoiled and given to tantrums because they didnt get what they wanted, not " seekers of the truth"
7
You comment here about the unemployment rate and optimism in the business sector and the deficit. How would you know about these things without the press? You are getting the information you want, from professionals. As for "dirt" on Trump, his administration is a veritable garbage dump of lies and propaganda, his corrupt morals in great evidence to all. No need to fake it. It's there for the taking.
4
"the team would stop publishing stories while managers reviewed what had gone wrong" - pretty simply really. Bias.
8
How convenient that anything under the sun can be classified a state secret. So what will be classified so the press never sees it no matter how true or disgraceful it is?
CNN is following what most of the media has been doing for a long time, that is, frame your story to fit the narrative. The narrative is that Trump is an accidental president, should never have beaten Hillary Clinton, and is someone who has no right to the office. The fact that NY and CA hate him is enough. GOP bashing is now not only confined to the editorial page, but to the news sections as well. This reminds me of the flap over Bush 43's military records where CBS was forced to fire 3 producers and allow Dan Rather to 'retire.'
16
The "narrative" you describe is self-evident. No need for "framing" -- just a cursory description of what this administration is doing is quite enough to engender disgust. And yes, Trump is an accidental president, Hillary should have won, and Trump has no right to the office -- which he proves by his heartless and heedless behavior every day.
2
Report the facts and not your opinion and things will be fine.
23
You can't trust any news these days. Most are simply 'Trump hating' liberals bhat will make up anything without true sources. The good thing is no one in America but other libs believe any of it.
26
Tell me 3 things to like about Trump. Can't be done. He's a useless crook and without redemption.
2
Right. We can't expect them to be absolutely factual and truthful as, say, Breitbart or Donald Trump.
2
He's not a politician, he hates unfair trade, and he's very witty.
2
The NY Times is whistling past the graveyard with this story. They are just as guilty as the laughable CNN when it comes to obvious bias these days. How else do you explain running a 1300 word article on Menendez's trial without ever mentioning that he is a democrat?
31
Very well observed. The NYT (and the Washpost btw) seem oblivious to the dangers that an all too opinionated journalism represents for them. It takes decades too build a strong journalistic reputation but only days to destroy it as the CNN case very well illustrates.
12
I suppose when Trump derangement syndrome is infecting the left to the point of madness and Fake News reigns supreme with it's Fake Reporters scrambling over each other to print the next lie and invented anti Trump sorry, this is all inevitable.
20
Absolutely, Lee. After all, we can't expect 100% accuracy and truthfulness like we get from Sean Hannity, or Rush Limbaugh.
5
The NYT is cherry picking this story in what looks to me like an attempt to persuade readers that this kind of erroneous reporting is a rarity. I had to laugh at the not so subtle narrative of your own reporting when I read, "...perhaps the most compelling story of the year: potential ties between the Trump Administration and Russia" Most compelling? If you want your investigative team to find the most compelling story of the year, check out the Awan spy ring story that is being ignored by all of MSM. Intrigue? How about investigating the metadata indicating there's a 14 year old congressional spy ring that's had access to classified information through doped blackberries, laptops, etc. Car rings, ports and diplomatic containers being used for clandestine operations, selling state secrets...any of that compelling? If not, perhaps your obsession with, "the most compelling story of the year" might turn to Ukraine and the Democrats where there really is a story - no "potential" or "perhaps" words needed.
13
Very well written article with no observable bias. Good work, you two.
2
CNN, were public service goes to become self-service. Fake news becomes propaganda and propaganda becomes democrat lies.
11
Funny to read all the right-wing CNN bashers here comparing it to Pravda or Tass. Ironically, Tass was the only "news" outlet allowed into the Oval Office by Trump to cover the meeting between himself and the Russian foreign minister. I wonder what you'll all do when the Mueller investigation releases its findings? Cry "fake news!"? No doubt.
8
Morally bankrupt ... what a shame!!
1
CNN is Pravda. A "news" organization dedicated to a particular political party and movement, and the destruction of any opposition to that party and movement.
It's not a "conspiracy." It's just survival. The news personnel who cleave to this are rewarded by the favoritism of the Party's leaders and the culture surrounding it. News personnel who "step off the reservation" are punished in their lives and careers.
There's a lot of this going around.
It's not a "conspiracy." It's just survival. The news personnel who cleave to this are rewarded by the favoritism of the Party's leaders and the culture surrounding it. News personnel who "step off the reservation" are punished in their lives and careers.
There's a lot of this going around.
10
CNN has fallen victim to its overblown self image nurtured by the arrogance and obvious political bias of many of its "star" anchors (or so do they believe). Example: most of the experts on discussion panels appear to be carefully selected by the anchor to suit her or his own political. A huge shot in the kneecaps, as panels, interviews, etc., become totally predictable as a function of the lead anchor and/or journalist whose lack of objectivity becomes very quickly widely known.
8
LOVE IT! The MSM is in total disarray (including NYT). For 50 years I have watched them lie about anything they disagreed with.
Trump is playing them like a cat plays with a bug.
Trump is playing them like a cat plays with a bug.
11
CNN can thrash, fire people, and tie themselves into knots for all anyone cares. They've ceased to be regarded as a source of anything worth the time it takes to read it.
8
Both CNN and the NY Times have been chasing the "great white whale" (or orange if you prefer) for so long now, they have sacrificed some of their best people and much of their credibility for a "gotcha!" that will never come. At this point even if it did, so what? Like the boy that cried wolf, the American public will not believe them.
The smart move has always been to drop the Russian fantasy scenarios and concentrate on current events, with the understanding that both the CNN and the NY Times gave the previous administration far too many passes for things they absolutely should not have. If you are going to cry 'foul' now, own up to not calling foul when it was called for in the past as you do. Only then the American public may come back around--not will, may. Credibility is easy to destroy, hard to rebuild.
The smart move has always been to drop the Russian fantasy scenarios and concentrate on current events, with the understanding that both the CNN and the NY Times gave the previous administration far too many passes for things they absolutely should not have. If you are going to cry 'foul' now, own up to not calling foul when it was called for in the past as you do. Only then the American public may come back around--not will, may. Credibility is easy to destroy, hard to rebuild.
11
Jeffery Zucker is not a newsman, he cares little for the truth or to provide information - he cares about stock price ( if there's a takeover) and eyeballs ( which equates to the stock price!). He is not a journalist - he is an entertainer - like our president. In both cases the wrong men with the wrong skills are in charge of something vitally important to our democracy.
Sloppy journalism should be called out, corrected and learned from. The scorched earth that JZ did to clean up this mistake was based upon fear of Fox
news and the republican establishment.
Do you see stories in the WSJ about the errors on Fox? And you won't!
We have a failing of institutions and a failing of our citizens to want to be informed instead of entertained.
Woe be these United States
Sloppy journalism should be called out, corrected and learned from. The scorched earth that JZ did to clean up this mistake was based upon fear of Fox
news and the republican establishment.
Do you see stories in the WSJ about the errors on Fox? And you won't!
We have a failing of institutions and a failing of our citizens to want to be informed instead of entertained.
Woe be these United States
7
I remember when CNN used to be trustworthy, back in the 1980s.
7
I remember the time when the opinion page was opinion and the news was only news and was factual. Today however, frequently the news is peppered with opinion, either overtly or covertly.
It seems that the press is so biased left or right that news is alao so biased left or right. It is unfair to the 1.2 million men and women who gave their life on battlefields for a free press, that the press is obligated to be accurate. If not, it is a communist news source, not an American one.
It seems that the press is so biased left or right that news is alao so biased left or right. It is unfair to the 1.2 million men and women who gave their life on battlefields for a free press, that the press is obligated to be accurate. If not, it is a communist news source, not an American one.
12
I am a liberal who reads, values, and enjoys the NY Times. But I agree with Jim H. Most NYT news articles are laced with viewpoints and opinions, most of which are inherently biased to the left. Along with the facts, the reporters generally are trying to give context and histories, all important to understanding; but commentary is clearly slanted in a liberal direction. I admit that I keep reading because I agree with those liberal values and appreciate the histories, but I do wish for more of a "just the facts" approach, with opinion saved for the editorial page.
9
CNN is not a news organization, Rather, CNN is a political organization masquerading as a news organization. Their mission is to generate and promote false, deceptive media content to support radical left ideology. They pride themselves on being diverse, i.e., unqualified, divisive personnel. CNN is definitely no friend of traditional America. Thankfully, their credibility has been permanently destroyed. They have become irrelevant, will soon pass away. As Dearest HRC said, 'they are deplorable'..
25
I find the retraction and apology, and Zuker's statement that he would not tolerate such mistakes refreshing. My wife and I watch CNN from 6:00 to 8:00 pm - Anderson Cooper and Don Lemon. We have noticed a certain bias in Don Lemon's show in particular. While we share his obvious dislike of Trump, he often invites guests from the opposite side of the political spectrum and then consistently interrupts them when they say something he doesn't like. The is both rude and unfair as we want to hear from the other side, as pathethic as we think their excuses for Trump are. It is extremely annoying and is the signal for us to dive for the remote and change the channel to National Geographic's Wild Kingdom. At least the predators there only kill to survive.
16
...."as pathetic as we think their excuses for Trump are".
You and CNN have the same pre-conceived viewpiont.
You and CNN have the same pre-conceived viewpiont.
3
Lemon often has Ben Shapiro on as guest. Shapiro's podcast will give you a good summary of the positions of the other side without the hyperbole typical on those shows.
1
Sounds exactly like what Sean Hannity and (Bill Oreilly) used to do. Someone could make a lot of money with a news station that reports and covers just the facts.
2
Conservatives believe is when they see it. Liberals (including their MSM) see it when they believe it.
15
CNN keep up the good work. Never watched you before but as Trump began the news "beat-up" like millions of Americans you are a staple now.
10
LOL Some really do stumble over the truth and just get up and continue on like nothing happened.
I quit watching/reading CNN years ago. Looks like that was a good decision. This whole story looks like one of mismanagement. This one didn't concur, that one didn't notice and went ahead with the story. Legal department had reservations. Team fired.
It was a fumble but the network fired the fumblers instead of just clarifying the mess. Sometimes work gets done in spite of management, but not in this case.
It was a fumble but the network fired the fumblers instead of just clarifying the mess. Sometimes work gets done in spite of management, but not in this case.
17
Did journalists really think that giving up on long established standards of journalism because of Trump would hurt only Trump, and not themselves?
Who are the clueless narcissists here?
Who are the clueless narcissists here?
33
The article makes five references to the Pulitzer Prize in order to confer high professional standard to the Journalists involved in this scandal. Ironically, the Pulitzer Prize was funded in part by the profits of Yellow Journalism. It should also be understood that the Pulitzer Prize for Journalism is a one off award, not awarded for a life time of achievement, but awarded for a single article or series in a given year. Just like Academy Award winning actors don’t churn out gold every time; the Pulitzer Prize is no indication of journalistic standard other than for the instance for which it was awarded.
Certainly the NYT writers or editors at least, should be aware of these simple facts and not distract from what is clearly a very large scandal in Journalism with such simple fallacies to false authority.
Certainly the NYT writers or editors at least, should be aware of these simple facts and not distract from what is clearly a very large scandal in Journalism with such simple fallacies to false authority.
20
Thanks for your pedantic explication,but you are belaboring a niggling point. It is common usage to refer to publications and news organizations as "Pultizer winning" without a long, nit picking explanation of how Pulitzers are awarded.
CNN retracted a story that proved to be erroneous. Trump and his minions have never retracted hundreds of false stories that they have propagated.
If I trust CNN my odds of getting the truth are better by about a thousand to one.
CNN retracted a story that proved to be erroneous. Trump and his minions have never retracted hundreds of false stories that they have propagated.
If I trust CNN my odds of getting the truth are better by about a thousand to one.
10
Confirmation bias.
9
Think it's Jeff Zucker who's at fault, should resign. An arrogant ratings hound, he's in way over his head with hard news. Should have stayed at NBC to watch silly programming die. He's a lightweight who has no business running a news organization! It's on HIS HEAD, HIS WATCH - throw the bum out!
13
If we got rid of Fox News their accuracy could be improved by about 50%.
1
If CNN and the rest of MSM would have a mission of NEWS instead of an agenda (such as CNN's bring down the powerful) then they might get some respect again. I don't see that happening though.
17
Nonsense. The "MSM" is a paragon of virtue compared to the right wing noise machine. The smokescreen these type of comments create are the source of disrespect not the few mistakes the reporters themselves make.
5
This article confirms what I had already suspected. The brilliant journalist Eric Lichtblau was forced (with 2 others) to take a fall for a dysfunctional communications culture inside CNN. I worked there in Atlanta some years ago, and had my own odd encounters with The Row, not worth recounting here.
Mistakes are often made, and they are explicitly and specifically CORRECTED. You don't execute a staff purge and then fail to explain what the purge is being blamed for. That's just martyrdom for the sake of martyrdom, and it neither enlightens or corrects the record.
I think, to this day, that Dan Rather fell victim to something remarkably similar: remote media managers with a nervous shareholder value-image fixation, disconnected from the factual record. Cowardice, in other words, which, unfortunately is the norm in the land of television management.
What HONEST media management would do (with attention to the idea of a journalistic record) is correct the mistakes, correct the record, explain the story, and put the blame where it belongs: on a flawed communication system, with poor user experience design (within iNews or outside of it, the usability of CNN's IT communications system is terrible, outdated, and arcane, and has been since the late 90s).
I suspect Lichtblau is secretly relieved to be out from under such dysfunctional management practices and is working on a book or something. I am just sorry he had to experience such a nightmare and unnecessary drama.
Mistakes are often made, and they are explicitly and specifically CORRECTED. You don't execute a staff purge and then fail to explain what the purge is being blamed for. That's just martyrdom for the sake of martyrdom, and it neither enlightens or corrects the record.
I think, to this day, that Dan Rather fell victim to something remarkably similar: remote media managers with a nervous shareholder value-image fixation, disconnected from the factual record. Cowardice, in other words, which, unfortunately is the norm in the land of television management.
What HONEST media management would do (with attention to the idea of a journalistic record) is correct the mistakes, correct the record, explain the story, and put the blame where it belongs: on a flawed communication system, with poor user experience design (within iNews or outside of it, the usability of CNN's IT communications system is terrible, outdated, and arcane, and has been since the late 90s).
I suspect Lichtblau is secretly relieved to be out from under such dysfunctional management practices and is working on a book or something. I am just sorry he had to experience such a nightmare and unnecessary drama.
45
Right on, and a spot-on reference to Dan Rather. So much bleating about the "liberal media" but follow the money, follow the influence, and we discover that our news is no less contaminated by parochial concerns than that hotbed of Washington politics.
2
Dan Rather absolutely deserved to be fired. He had a story which he believed to be true - but used fake documents to support it. His desire (agenda) to take down Bush Jr. was greater than his will to follow ethical standards. This is the problem that the MSM as a whole is facing now. Their hatred of Trump is so great that they will publish any story that is negative about Trump whether it is true or not.
6
Just curious, but what hard hitting investigating research journalism did CNN do that impacted major changes during the Obama administration? Or for that matter, the Hilary campaign. I suppose it is tough to report the facts when you are funneling debate questions to the candidate. The correct answer of course is, Nata.
21
"Funneling debate questions?" Paah. Donna only stated the obvious about the obvious. The republican response has always been to make mountains out of mole hills until their own president dissembles, slanders, and lies, and suddenly, all is quiet.
2
CNN and journalism should never be used in the same sentence.
The organization is so blinded by its own bias so as to be what it is,.... fake news.
There was a time that it was my"go to," but I have been too disappointed on too many occasions by their lies to even tune in. I have not missed the mess.
The organization is so blinded by its own bias so as to be what it is,.... fake news.
There was a time that it was my"go to," but I have been too disappointed on too many occasions by their lies to even tune in. I have not missed the mess.
22
Glancing at the CNN website yesterday, one of the top stories - above North Korea- reported that hurricanes with female names were found to be worse than those with male names. This is apparently the depth to which they have descended. It is sad because the tabloid nonsense enhances the rhetoric of those who label CNN as fake news.
22
CNN needs to realize where their strengths are and focus on those.
Like reporting on the latest viral Kitten Videos on YouTube and on videos of Labrador Retrievers home alone with GoPro cameras on their collars. Spending five minutes each hour on Sports scores & highlights shouldn't hurt their credibility. Just as long as it's NOT Chris Cuomo doing the reporting.
Cuomo will tell viewers that it's Illegal for viewers to look at any other sources for the Scores & Highlights, just like he did with Hillary's emails on wikileaks (why does HE still have a job?)
Like reporting on the latest viral Kitten Videos on YouTube and on videos of Labrador Retrievers home alone with GoPro cameras on their collars. Spending five minutes each hour on Sports scores & highlights shouldn't hurt their credibility. Just as long as it's NOT Chris Cuomo doing the reporting.
Cuomo will tell viewers that it's Illegal for viewers to look at any other sources for the Scores & Highlights, just like he did with Hillary's emails on wikileaks (why does HE still have a job?)
12
Because his name if Cuomo and his brother is the Guv of NY. Other than that? No observable skills or intelligence on display that would warrant any air time.
4
Cuomo, "like father, like son"!
2
“Seek truth. Break news. Hold the powerful accountable.” They forgot one adjective. Should have the word 'conservatives' after powerful. The idea that CNN would ever seriously pursue any liberal is laughable.
16
It may be that when the "liberals" become as ruthless, unscrupulous, and inept at the "conservatives," they too are held accountable.
3
Does the name John Edwards ring a bell? I could give you a long list but doubt it would open your eyes.
3
When are we going to get the truth about what happened and why?
Something very shady is going on here and we need to know what it is and who is involved. It certainly looks like CNN is covering something up.
We do know that CNN has not said the story is false.
We do know that Mooch went to work in the WH for 10 days after the story.
And that is about all we do know. Everything else has been cast into doubt and the ambiguous teases of these stories in multiple outlets that rehash events without adding anything seems to indicate there is more to come, but......?????
Something very shady is going on here and we need to know what it is and who is involved. It certainly looks like CNN is covering something up.
We do know that CNN has not said the story is false.
We do know that Mooch went to work in the WH for 10 days after the story.
And that is about all we do know. Everything else has been cast into doubt and the ambiguous teases of these stories in multiple outlets that rehash events without adding anything seems to indicate there is more to come, but......?????
5
I'm suspicious, remember, Zucker hired Lewandowski, who was also still working for Trump.
8
Yeah, CNN forgot that when you attempt to wrestle a pig in mud, you get up covered in mud. Error compounded by knee-jerk reaction. Trump brings everyone down to his level.
5
CCCN would have to get up real early to be brought UP to Trump's very high level.
2
Regardless. Journalism is supposed to be "non-bring-down-able." Truth is truth, whatever else is happening. Now all CNN is, is jeernalism.
3
The George Costanza approach to news: "It's not a lie if you believe it."
10
I used to refuse to watch Fox and MSNBC, I would tell friends "I don't watch propaganda". Now I find that I can't watch CNN, their placement of "Trump shills" on every panel makes it unwatchable. I like many others watch MSNBC as I find they while left leaning are more real news, with commentators who actually contribute to discussion rather than read "Trump talking points". Thank god for the Times, and Washington Post, McClatchy and Associated Press, who are doing great coverage that may save the Republic.
7
Add Pro Publica to that list of decent news reporting.
2
Thank "god." Which small "god" do you thank? I thank God that there are still counterbalances to such vile "news" outlets as the Washington Post and NYT. They are doing their best, which is fortunately not good enough, to destroy the Republic.
2
The seemingly insignificant mistakes made by the three terminated CNN journalists and the overreaction of Jeff Zucker and others at CNN to their mistakes is a depressing story. But what is more depressing are the comments of many readers to this story. If anything CNN should be cheered for its role in standing up to Trump and the right-wing zealots at Breitbart, Fox News and other media whose shamefully uncritical support for the president has made a mockery of journalistic standards. All of CNN's errors and omissions to date in covering Trump and the truly distressing phenomenon of Trumpism pale into insignificance when compared to just one day's coverage of the same subjects by Fox News. Unfortunately, by its elision of that comparison, this story allows Trump's morally and factually blind, credulous defenders to feel wholly justified in believing CNN is "fake news".
12
Let's face it. There is not enough new news to fill a whole channel 24 hours a day.
CNN used to read the news, over and again, then it went into what appeared to be reality journalism.
Now CNN is constantly investigating everything, over and again.
It's getting tired and more and more opinionated, run by anchors and commentators who feel the need to tell us how good or bad the world is, at every turn.
CNN should tell the news again and let the readers, and viewers make their own reasonable assessment.
CNN used to read the news, over and again, then it went into what appeared to be reality journalism.
Now CNN is constantly investigating everything, over and again.
It's getting tired and more and more opinionated, run by anchors and commentators who feel the need to tell us how good or bad the world is, at every turn.
CNN should tell the news again and let the readers, and viewers make their own reasonable assessment.
24
The unrelenting negative coverage of the President is polarizing the public and undermining any sense of balance and objectivity in media. To the extent unvetted lies are published, unnamed sources are relied upon, and sole sourced rumors have made the "news", mainstream media has thrown away the only reason for anyone to rely on them for information.
8
Every organization makes mistakes. News, government, law enforcement -- you name it. The difference with a news organization is that every detail comes under intense scrutiny, and when a mistake occurs, it is extremely public. Many of our elected officials, especially those in the current White House, could not hold a job with a high-level media organization such as CNN due to their propensity for spin and obfuscation.
CNN, NYT and other news organizations are attempting to inform us of the inner workings of our government in the face of an administration that has no regard for truth or integrity, but instead, has taken upon itself the mission to discredit the news media in general as a way to convince the electorate that nothing they see, read or hear is accurate. The result, if the administration succeeds, will be a docile electorate that will believe nothing, and therefore, will allow anything.
I suggest reading "Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar" to see how an elected official took over a huge, diverse country in the name of populism and workers' rights, and then began a reign of terror. The parallels ring true with our current situation: It can happen here.
CNN, NYT and other news organizations are attempting to inform us of the inner workings of our government in the face of an administration that has no regard for truth or integrity, but instead, has taken upon itself the mission to discredit the news media in general as a way to convince the electorate that nothing they see, read or hear is accurate. The result, if the administration succeeds, will be a docile electorate that will believe nothing, and therefore, will allow anything.
I suggest reading "Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar" to see how an elected official took over a huge, diverse country in the name of populism and workers' rights, and then began a reign of terror. The parallels ring true with our current situation: It can happen here.
3
Perhaps if CNN and others assembled their reports more on facts than innuendo and tried a little harder to appear less bias in their reporting, such actions would not be necessary and maybe Americans would believe in CNN again.
6
Why do all these sites and pages first quote the text of the tweet, and then show the actual tweet? I don't need to see the information twice.
2
I haven't watched television news in almost twenty years. Why would anyone?
2
All the best bullies succeed by out-sourcing their bullying, to those afraid of becoming their targets--or eager to get out of their sights. Zucker made himself Trump's deputy, and undermined one of the finest assemblages of journalistic talent in the process. CNN Investigates, we hardly knew ye.
3
This, along with the equally biased Fox and Brietbart, are the result of TV news moving from a loss leader position to a profit center; and the reason why I now watch BBC News exclusively.
1
Seek truth - Perhaps, but CNN is failing. They're trying to make truth; especially when it comes to politics
Break news - They report on it, but with bias and attempts to persuade people to think how they want them to.
Hold the powerful accountable - only the powerful they disagree with. There was very little, if any, attempts by CNN to hold the Clinton or Obama administrations into account.
CNN has morphed from a news organization into a propaganda outfit for the left. To be fair, this is true of other "news" organizations for the left and the right. It's sad nowadays to have to read 4 to 5 articles from different sources, and then have to piece-part the facts together to find the real truth. I stopped using CNN as one of my sources a long time ago.
Break news - They report on it, but with bias and attempts to persuade people to think how they want them to.
Hold the powerful accountable - only the powerful they disagree with. There was very little, if any, attempts by CNN to hold the Clinton or Obama administrations into account.
CNN has morphed from a news organization into a propaganda outfit for the left. To be fair, this is true of other "news" organizations for the left and the right. It's sad nowadays to have to read 4 to 5 articles from different sources, and then have to piece-part the facts together to find the real truth. I stopped using CNN as one of my sources a long time ago.
6
If it is politically driven how can it be of any interest?, people are or had become very artful in smelling the political part of any story, the internet has made the appetite more than satisfied, Trump plays on it like a art and people listen. Please stop being "political" on any thing that you say or publish and give us NEWS, I did care much about Hillary but I don't car about Trump either.
2
So reporting the facts demonstrates bias now. I guess no one can report on Donald Trump's tweets, his speeches, or his behavior now because that's seen as anti-Trump. Does it not occur to the nay-sayers that Donald Trump himself is anti-Trump?
The reputable media is not there to praise Trump or anyone else. Nor is it there to bring him down. It reports on the facts - and makes corrections and retractions when they get it wrong. Everyone makes mistakes from time to time - correcting them and learning from them is how we improve. Has Fox News ever retracted or corrected a news story? If not, they cannot be considered reputable.
Apparently there are many out there who cannot tell the difference between commentary and reporting. There are even more who cannot discern propaganda from truth and reality, and will believe whatever they see that fits with their worldview, whether it can be verified or not.
The biggest problem with any of the 24-hr news channels is that they have to fill time, and thus repeat the same stories over and over, adding commentary from so-called experts to help fill that time. While some of the "expert" commentary may be entertaining, it is hardly news.
It's a shame so many people don't seem to realize that and lack the knowledge and skills to filter the chaff from the wheat. And perhaps the death of all the 24-hr news channels would not be a bad thing at all. Ted Turner did not do the country any favors.
The reputable media is not there to praise Trump or anyone else. Nor is it there to bring him down. It reports on the facts - and makes corrections and retractions when they get it wrong. Everyone makes mistakes from time to time - correcting them and learning from them is how we improve. Has Fox News ever retracted or corrected a news story? If not, they cannot be considered reputable.
Apparently there are many out there who cannot tell the difference between commentary and reporting. There are even more who cannot discern propaganda from truth and reality, and will believe whatever they see that fits with their worldview, whether it can be verified or not.
The biggest problem with any of the 24-hr news channels is that they have to fill time, and thus repeat the same stories over and over, adding commentary from so-called experts to help fill that time. While some of the "expert" commentary may be entertaining, it is hardly news.
It's a shame so many people don't seem to realize that and lack the knowledge and skills to filter the chaff from the wheat. And perhaps the death of all the 24-hr news channels would not be a bad thing at all. Ted Turner did not do the country any favors.
1
Don't trust what CNN has become. Fake news comes from most of the news sources. I now watch OANN. Just the news without all the talking heads spewing opinions rather than news.
3
Amidst the lack of professionalism, bias and errors, at least CNN admitted these errors. Given that the President lies to the American people many times a week, I'm still waiting for his retractions.
6
We still don't know what the mistake was. The most interesting part of this story is that it's the Business & Finance Editor making this decision:
"The day after the retraction, Rich Barbieri, the editor of CNN’s business and finance site, sent his team an email barring the publication of “any content involving Russia” without editorial approval — “no exceptions.”"
"The day after the retraction, Rich Barbieri, the editor of CNN’s business and finance site, sent his team an email barring the publication of “any content involving Russia” without editorial approval — “no exceptions.”"
3
NoName1 said this .... NoName2 said that .... NoName3 said the other thing ....
Trust us! This really is the news even when it is hearsay from sources who are unwilling to take responsibility for what they have said. If it happens to coincide with our obvious political biases, that is merely fortuitous. Trust us!
Sincerely,
The Mainstream Media
Trust us! This really is the news even when it is hearsay from sources who are unwilling to take responsibility for what they have said. If it happens to coincide with our obvious political biases, that is merely fortuitous. Trust us!
Sincerely,
The Mainstream Media
6
CNN's reporters erred, the story was retracted and those responsible were punished. This is a healthy process in action. Pulitzer prize winning reporters are shamed at CNN.
What is not a healthy process is the 24/7/365 of constant unfounded and clearly false reporting that is being produced and aired without question - or merit - at FOX. Shameful reporting is applauded as if it were Pulitzer material.
CNN's cowering sends the message that good faith mistakes will be punished. The White House declares it's going after those who leak reports (evidently, only leaked to liberal media sources).
The result for you and me: an administration that runs roughshod over the truth, silently pulls the jams off good laws, deports a million people a year, denies US entry to specific minorities, enacts voter suppression laws with impunity, denies healthcare to 20 million, enacts tax breaks for the 1%, and strips the US of a robust and free media.
In the meantime, one media source at a time, publicly shames it's reporters to the gleeful cheers of the Alt-right.
No one is going to call you when it's over.
What is not a healthy process is the 24/7/365 of constant unfounded and clearly false reporting that is being produced and aired without question - or merit - at FOX. Shameful reporting is applauded as if it were Pulitzer material.
CNN's cowering sends the message that good faith mistakes will be punished. The White House declares it's going after those who leak reports (evidently, only leaked to liberal media sources).
The result for you and me: an administration that runs roughshod over the truth, silently pulls the jams off good laws, deports a million people a year, denies US entry to specific minorities, enacts voter suppression laws with impunity, denies healthcare to 20 million, enacts tax breaks for the 1%, and strips the US of a robust and free media.
In the meantime, one media source at a time, publicly shames it's reporters to the gleeful cheers of the Alt-right.
No one is going to call you when it's over.
17
No shame, no retraction, no retribution for Breitbart using an unrelated photo to smear Dreamers with a lie. And No uproar either!
See the headline: "Breitbart uses photo of gang members in El Salvador to smear DACA recipients" by thinkprogress.org 3 hours ago .
https://www.yahoo.com/news/m/a6d6078b-53db-30c0-9e65-0ab7caa1a125/ss_bre...
See the headline: "Breitbart uses photo of gang members in El Salvador to smear DACA recipients" by thinkprogress.org 3 hours ago .
https://www.yahoo.com/news/m/a6d6078b-53db-30c0-9e65-0ab7caa1a125/ss_bre...
1
An interesting article. CNN surely should have taken these errors seriously. In an age when the press is under constant, and sometimes deserved, criticism from all sides, including the White House, it must be diligent in policing its own house.
It's possible CNN overreacted in firing 3 experienced journalists, when the fault may have been with the networks own somewhat vague and inconsistent internal policies. Action by the network was appropriate, but it may have been overdone. One thing is certain: the media needs to catch its collective breath in the age of the Internet-based 24 hour news cycle. Getting it right is almost always more important than getting it first.
One final important point: CNN's response, though it may have been overdone, is far superior to that of the New York Times. At about the same time as the events described in this story, the New York Times fired its Public Editor, and closed down her office. The Time is one of the most consequential media outlets on the planet, and to have closed down it's internal ethical oversight was a major mistake. Today, it relies on Facebook and a "Reader's Center", both of which pale in comparison to a Public Editor''s office staffed by an experienced, full time journalist. The Times itself commits journalistic errors, and the lack of effective oversight is indeed unfortunate.
For shame, NYT.
It's possible CNN overreacted in firing 3 experienced journalists, when the fault may have been with the networks own somewhat vague and inconsistent internal policies. Action by the network was appropriate, but it may have been overdone. One thing is certain: the media needs to catch its collective breath in the age of the Internet-based 24 hour news cycle. Getting it right is almost always more important than getting it first.
One final important point: CNN's response, though it may have been overdone, is far superior to that of the New York Times. At about the same time as the events described in this story, the New York Times fired its Public Editor, and closed down her office. The Time is one of the most consequential media outlets on the planet, and to have closed down it's internal ethical oversight was a major mistake. Today, it relies on Facebook and a "Reader's Center", both of which pale in comparison to a Public Editor''s office staffed by an experienced, full time journalist. The Times itself commits journalistic errors, and the lack of effective oversight is indeed unfortunate.
For shame, NYT.
8
Sadly, when information fits a narrative that one (or a group) believes to be true the fact checking gets lax. Add the rush to break news in today's world, and things get terribly sloppy.
The way to avoid the problem is to hold to the facts wherever they go. Something CNN, and a number of news providers stopped doing a long time ago.
The way to avoid the problem is to hold to the facts wherever they go. Something CNN, and a number of news providers stopped doing a long time ago.
10
CNN, FOX, MSNBC--ALL cable news, of American origin sucks..I watch BBC America or Canadian Broadcasting....These guys make Ted Turner and Aaron Brown puke......I myself am not a Trump fan, but they make it easy for him to corrupt our need for a free press......He wants them all gone so he can do whatever that addled brain of his wants....They give him the ammo for distrust and frankly, sometimes they do deserve it..
This guy is a tweeting train wreck and decent reporters should have derailed him well before he got the nomination..They were all enthralled by his "ratings" power and looked away from his obvious stability issues......Just like the lead-up to the Iraq war...they didn't do their job then either...That is when I started going to Canadian news....Got to see the worldwide demonstrations against our invasion, while all we were getting was "Shock and AWE" cheerleaders.....
America is losing it's way and we should go back to print journalism and skip these cable ratings hookers...Knowledge is REAL power--don't let anyone make you lose sight of that.
This guy is a tweeting train wreck and decent reporters should have derailed him well before he got the nomination..They were all enthralled by his "ratings" power and looked away from his obvious stability issues......Just like the lead-up to the Iraq war...they didn't do their job then either...That is when I started going to Canadian news....Got to see the worldwide demonstrations against our invasion, while all we were getting was "Shock and AWE" cheerleaders.....
America is losing it's way and we should go back to print journalism and skip these cable ratings hookers...Knowledge is REAL power--don't let anyone make you lose sight of that.
3
This reminds me of the demonetization of CBS anchor, Dan Rather, until they were forced to fire him. A lifetime of excellent reporting and one mistake - he's out. They did the same thing to him as they did to Ms. Hillary Rodham Clinton and are trying to do to CNN and Senator Elizabeth Warren. This is the game against anyone who they fear.
I smell Steve Bannon and friends. Ignore them and continue to watch CNN if they are brave enough to keep telling the truth to the American and world public. Do not let hate-fear-anger-violence-WAR-Lies,Lies,Lies win again.
I smell Steve Bannon and friends. Ignore them and continue to watch CNN if they are brave enough to keep telling the truth to the American and world public. Do not let hate-fear-anger-violence-WAR-Lies,Lies,Lies win again.
17
There is no conspiracy here other than the ham handed attempt to make someone look bad. These reporters followed there beliefs about what they thought the truth should be rather than the facts.
There is no conspiracy to bring anyone, or anything down. It's just the old adage that trust is difficult to earn and easy to lose.
There is no conspiracy to bring anyone, or anything down. It's just the old adage that trust is difficult to earn and easy to lose.
6
A mistake is leaving your keys in the car. Fabricating a document and attempting to pass it off as real during a major network television broadcast is an intentional attempt to deceive your audience for political purposes.
5
American television "journalism", if one can still use that term, has seen better days. I don't watch much television news at all. I don't Tweet or Instagram or any other obnoxious media. I read news written by news journalists. Try it sometime people, like we used to do before our attention span was shortened to 15 seconds. God knows I hope our president will inform himself a little more instead of the constant to do about nothing he bathers on about in tweets.
The BBC is one of the few sights I can watch now. It is a constant barrage of screaming headlines and "breaking news" in a constant state of "situation".
I will say at least they retracted the story. More than FOX would ever do.
The BBC is one of the few sights I can watch now. It is a constant barrage of screaming headlines and "breaking news" in a constant state of "situation".
I will say at least they retracted the story. More than FOX would ever do.
8
And I really miss AlJazeera America for international news.
3
CNN lies? No kidding Captain Obvious. Delisted from my dial over a year ago. Should be renamed as Pravda or Tass, for the propaganda and rhetoric it spews, devoid of facts!
35
The stories are on the front page and the retraction is on page 80
34
I rather like CNN because they are not Fox and not MSNBC. Which means at least half of the country is mad at them half of the time.
Of all the networks I think they do the most accurate reporting. Part of being accurate and being good is the ability to admit your mistakes. Something Fox will never do.
Of all the networks I think they do the most accurate reporting. Part of being accurate and being good is the ability to admit your mistakes. Something Fox will never do.
34
A new standard in accurate reporting. If the first report is inaccurate it is ok and shouldn't be blamed on CNN but if the inaccuracy is found and pointed out by someone else and CNN admit it then the credit for accuracy should belong to CNN. Do you have any proof that FOX will never admit to inaccurate stories? Wonder why FOX rating is at the top if this is the case.
1
Too many journalists go to work imagining their job is to take down the president rather than inform the public. The public has noticed.
61
I think your reaction is a little off base....these reporters are not out there to "take down the President", but to report the things that our politicians are doing....if they were simply doing their jobs then more than likely, they would report that....
That is, they think their job is to take down the president so long as he's a Republican.
If he's a Democrat, they think their job is provide him with fawning coverage.
If he's a Democrat, they think their job is provide him with fawning coverage.
6
Yes, the journalists at Fox News certainly did their best to de-legitimatize President Obama for 8 years, and still blame anything that goes wrong on the black man (Obama) or the woman (Hillary).
1
One is hard pressed to understand why CNN is still broadcasting after all the retractions, the rabid hate toward Trump and Conservatives. Other than being forced to look at it in airports, I don't know anyone who takes CNN seriously. Trump is right: CNN is fake news.
51
Need 2 read a broader spectrum of news Pedro. After following 10 presidents over the yrs I can assure you Trump is a scary outlier.
I worked at a law firm where Chris Cuomo was an associate. Regularly, at 6PM he would visit another associate's office and ask if that guy could revise a document (around 100+ pages) for him that a partner needed in the morning, because CC had to leave. It was an office joke of the support staff.
Cnn has been around for a lot of years now Trump has been in office for 8 months my question is has it always been fake news or did it just become fake news when Trump told you to think ? Also is all the conservatives that work on Cnn for many years and bashed President Obama for 8yrs fake reports?
2
Why not just report the news instead of trying to write fiction?
21
CNN is as legitimate as Brietbart.
3
I don't think you've read Breitbart. They may report on news you don't want to hear. Its not popular to point out how many billions are being spent on healthcare and the downside illegals, it is news to people like me.
4
And yet BB got the election right, which puts them above almost all other attempts at reporting by the legacy media.
2
'. . .perhaps the most compelling story of the year. . ."
You MSM just can't let go of your false narratives. I'll bet you still beleive Rove outed Valerie Plame.
You MSM just can't let go of your false narratives. I'll bet you still beleive Rove outed Valerie Plame.
13
"I'll bet you still beleive Rove outed Valerie Plame."
No -- It was Dick Cheney...
No -- It was Dick Cheney...
13
NO....Dick Cheney outed Valerie Plame....in retaliation for what her husband did....FACT !
5
I don't watch CNN anymore. I get an icky feeling when I see most of their hosts, as though even they don't believe what they're saying. I dislike most of their top hosts. Each one seems to have a strange personal agenda. Just can't watch them.
19
Ditto with Fox News now. They appear to be a failed entity not unlike CNN and the 3 major networks. They are all liars and incompetents.
“It was a chilling moment for a unit that boasted Pulitzer Prize winners”
“Sara Ganim, a Pulitzer Prize winner”
“Eric Lichtblau, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter”
“Thomas Frank, who had been a Pulitzer Prize finalist”
Who is this “Pulitzer” that journalists have named a prize after?
Joseph Pulitzer introduced the techniques of yellow journalism (a type of journalism that presents little or no legitimate well-researched news).
“Sara Ganim, a Pulitzer Prize winner”
“Eric Lichtblau, a Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter”
“Thomas Frank, who had been a Pulitzer Prize finalist”
Who is this “Pulitzer” that journalists have named a prize after?
Joseph Pulitzer introduced the techniques of yellow journalism (a type of journalism that presents little or no legitimate well-researched news).
13
Which has nothing at all to do with the award named after him, and which stands for meeting the highest standards of reporting.
Naming a "journalism" prize after Pulitzer is akin to having a "Ponzi Prize" for excellence in economics.
CNN competes successfully with Donald Trump in its arrogance. Instead of "Seek Truth" to begin, "Do no harm" might suffice.
1
CNN has become so partisan and virulently anti-Trump that no one can take them seriously anymore. I might suggest that they simply leave all reportage on Washington in general and the Russia investigation in particular to other news outlets and devote their attentions to weather disasters, wars, and international events like they used to.
25
Clear to me CNN knows where their viewers are located and they feed them what the gorge on. Many of us in my circle of friends have simply quit watching it and Fox. This is nuts.
7
CNN like almost all American News Companies have become propaganda outlets for the Democrats.
Why didn't investigate Obama as intensely as Trump? There were dozens of criminal acts to investigate!
No, this is not about reporting. This is an ideological war. A war between Communism and Capitalism. A war between Good and Evil. A war between God and Satan.
Why didn't investigate Obama as intensely as Trump? There were dozens of criminal acts to investigate!
No, this is not about reporting. This is an ideological war. A war between Communism and Capitalism. A war between Good and Evil. A war between God and Satan.
1
Finally, we have both CNN retracting and the NYTimes publishing the retraction of stories concocted to the detriment of the President and the purported Russian connection. How about that! It is now obvious that these media entities will stop at nothing to bring down the president. The CNN reporters include a prized NYTimes reporter as well who apparently aided and abetted the story. Unfortunately, all of this endangers what we are led to believe is a Free Press when the latter is anything but free.
25
I listen to CNN on satellite radio, yesterday they were running an ad for this guy:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/04/opinion/kapersky-russia-cybersecurity...
LOL.
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/09/04/opinion/kapersky-russia-cybersecurity...
LOL.
4
Hubris and "special units" in any organization invariably tend to feel "superior" and ...always screw up.
All these Pulitzer prizes and awards, like Nobel, best actor, best this or that. are nothing but banal "participation " trophies from peers from doing a job. A bit like patting yourself on the back. Leads to conceit and big mistakes.
Like Obama getting a piece prize after two days in office.
All these Pulitzer prizes and awards, like Nobel, best actor, best this or that. are nothing but banal "participation " trophies from peers from doing a job. A bit like patting yourself on the back. Leads to conceit and big mistakes.
Like Obama getting a piece prize after two days in office.
17
The media is nothing but the operational wing of the DNC, and most Americans know it. They've sucking in former party operatives since the 90's, blurring the line between news and propaganda.
45
Wolf Blitzer raising his glass of wine to toast Hillary at the Dem National Convention...That's rich.
13
And Chris Cuoma on cnn, on camera, saying that cnn is doing everything it can to get hillary elected.
1
Just another reason not to trust the legacy media. Believe none of what you hear or read and only half of what you see. Hell, I don't even trust the new media. Your best weapon against this propaganda and fake news is to listen, read, and think critically.
15
I tend to prefer reading non-fiction books with references and a bibliography.
The overwhelming desire and/or need for clicks is driving the news cycle. The problem is that fact checking, making sure those alternative facts are true or false, takes time. In-depth reporting takes time.
CNN isn't the only media company that has this problem. Our paper of record, the NYT, also has a big "click" problem. Geez guys, when supposedly balanced media publish stories too quickly without double/triple checking they ruin the reputation of all the other stories they publish. It gives ammunition to people who hate the truth and let's them say "see, 'fake news'!". This is the exact opposite of what is needed right now.
Focus on the stories not on the clicks, likes, retweets and emails. Don't lower your (and as a consequence, our) standards!
CNN isn't the only media company that has this problem. Our paper of record, the NYT, also has a big "click" problem. Geez guys, when supposedly balanced media publish stories too quickly without double/triple checking they ruin the reputation of all the other stories they publish. It gives ammunition to people who hate the truth and let's them say "see, 'fake news'!". This is the exact opposite of what is needed right now.
Focus on the stories not on the clicks, likes, retweets and emails. Don't lower your (and as a consequence, our) standards!
67
What is the point of this story being rehashed?
4
To distract from their own intentional bias yesterday by not identifying Sen. Menendez as a Democrat in a story about his corruption trial.
1
Hello? Wow what an empty silent place the comments are on this article. Should I assume the smug readers saw the headline and passed to something else? How does it feel to get so invested in a belief that a president is going to be impeached only to find out it was a big prank delivered by your most trusted news sources?
21
This article well describes the problems at CNN with news reporting that relied on anonymous sources. Rather surprising, perhaps, that this article itself relies on anonymous source.
4
I had thought that it was generally known that CNN is the Pravda of the Democratic Party. I did not vote for Trump, but CNN's blatant bias is so obvious that I have stopped watching.
35
I had thought that it was generally known that CNN is the Pravda of the Democrat Party. I voted for Trump, but CNN's blatant bias is so obvious that I have stopped watching.
1
I abandoned CNN several months back. I like to read/hear views from both the left and the right. I read the Wall Street Journal AND the NYTimes. I watch Fox and up until a few months ago, CNN. I have switched to watching MSNBC. CNN's constant, constant, Trump/Russia collusion fantasies became unbearable. I really do not see CNN as a reputable source of news anymore. It's a shame how bad it's become.
29
I'm surprised that the CNN executives didn't implement a simple rule of ethical reporting (which they haven't followed).
Never report a story without 2-3 sources that go on the record. If you can't get 2-3 people to go on the record, then it's just FAKE NEWS..
Never report a story without 2-3 sources that go on the record. If you can't get 2-3 people to go on the record, then it's just FAKE NEWS..
16
I would like to think these people may finally be waking up to the fact that America doesn't want to watch the blatant propaganda arm of the left. However, they were probably let go because they didn't fabricate enough fake evidence to make the stories appear authentic. They didn't lie quite enough.
23
This article is barely interesting and it doesn't say much, but it inadvertently highlights the state of the media today.
One particularly weird part: "In early June, CNN published a bulletin saying that James B. Comey, the former F.B.I. director, would contradict Mr. Trump in testimony before Congress...But the network soon began hearing from sources who said the information in the article was wrong. CNN was forced to issue a correction."
Wait a second. There's no mention of the fact that Comey himself contradicted them in his sworn testimony before Congress? Wouldn't that be the salient point?
Then there's this gem: "...it was a technicality related to a Russian bank’s relationship to the fund, but managers found it to have been a troubling lapse."
Um. That "technicality" was the fulcrum on which the whole story rested. The bank in question was under sanction, and that was the concern that the Senators raised. But the bank wasn't related to the fund.
One particularly weird part: "In early June, CNN published a bulletin saying that James B. Comey, the former F.B.I. director, would contradict Mr. Trump in testimony before Congress...But the network soon began hearing from sources who said the information in the article was wrong. CNN was forced to issue a correction."
Wait a second. There's no mention of the fact that Comey himself contradicted them in his sworn testimony before Congress? Wouldn't that be the salient point?
Then there's this gem: "...it was a technicality related to a Russian bank’s relationship to the fund, but managers found it to have been a troubling lapse."
Um. That "technicality" was the fulcrum on which the whole story rested. The bank in question was under sanction, and that was the concern that the Senators raised. But the bank wasn't related to the fund.
14
Since Obama left office, the NYT has run an advertising campaign letting people know they are about reporting the TRUTH.
And I do believe they do that, for the most part (although I can cite a few examples where, in the fullness of time, NYT reporting turned out to be fake news).
Trouble is, their reporting frequently isn't the whole truth.
Thank you John Wood for telling us the rest of the story.
And I do believe they do that, for the most part (although I can cite a few examples where, in the fullness of time, NYT reporting turned out to be fake news).
Trouble is, their reporting frequently isn't the whole truth.
Thank you John Wood for telling us the rest of the story.
1
CNN screwed up. Of course an apology is in order. In these muddled and divisive times there is a lot of idiocy/nonsense all over he place. And the network will be jumped on by the Trump loyalists. They also should take The President to task for the accusation he made that Obama tapped his phone. That claim was, I would say, rather quietly refuted by Trump's Justice Dept. in a statement issued over the weekend. A sitting President accusing his predecessor of a felony has never been done before in our history. I'd call that serious. More pollution for the political atmosphere. And it just passes by...no quasi-apologies from The Trump camp or those who also supported this claim. It speaks to the civic inauthenticity of our politics...there's plenty of idiocy to go around.
5
It seems as if you've forgotten that Mr. Lichtblau got the Trump/Russia story spectacularly wrong once before this, in your pages, before the election. I recall distinctly his story asserting as fact that the server connection didn't exist, which helped to keep a real scandal off the radar until after the subject of it was elected President (I understand internally you call that "the arc of the story").
This in unsurprising.
This in unsurprising.
9
No doubt this is an important story that needs to be told. And it's something that shouldn't be swept under the rug. But what about your own missteps over the years, and even of late? This story rings hollow without some greater acknowledgement, or at least self-awareness, of your own recent shortcomings as a media institution. As it has been said, it's always easier to point out the speck in another's eye than the plank in your own.
24
Ok, re your story but let's look at the scorecard as of today.
CNN not telling the truth.....one percent of the time.
Trump telling the truth....one percent of the time.
I would put my money on CNN.
CNN not telling the truth.....one percent of the time.
Trump telling the truth....one percent of the time.
I would put my money on CNN.
10
This is just the collapse for CNN. Their history of journalistic missteps and fake news proceeds them.
9
CNN is no longer the most trusted name in anything. Why Anderson Cooper stays is a mystery but even his aura is tainted now. Too many major and minor mistakes over ten years here. And Wolf Blitzer stays. Why? Best reporter remains Clarissa Ward.Worst idea? A panel of political and reporter analysts for almost everything. It is broken almost beyond repair.
9
Ah yes, less glamorous stories like the thousands of Americans dying from prescription drugs lack the appeal as compared to a fishing expedition to link Trump to Russia. By my count, opioids are still killing young men and women, while government officials continue to admit no solid evidence of collusion. Wonder which story history will consider glamorous, a crumbling narrative dead due to zero proof or our own sons and daughters dying everyday from painkiller prescribing gone mad?
11
The news companies are so eager to dispose of the Apprentice, they have gotten sloppy apparently. Witch hunts are common in the news due to the money involved. Truth suffers. Twist is in. The polemic, didactic nature of reporting now is a major distraction. Cronkite news is certainly a thing of the past. The Anderson Coopers are unfortunate residue.
12
I'd rather have teams like CNN's investigative unit in place than not have them. No one has shown that the story on Scaramucci was untrue. It may not have been handled appropriately, or in keeping with CNN standards, but that doesn't make it false. Trump and his cohorts would love nothing more than for investigative units like CNN's to be shut down. Trump and Company long to operate with no scrutiny. CNN can tighten up the oversight of its coverage (working from a single source is never a good idea), but they need to hang in there. Millions of us depend on them. Trump is already a law unto himself. Without CNN and NYT and others willing to look under the surface, we're left with the fake news from Fox and the propaganda machine of right wing media.
15
Never took CNN seriously after they abandoned news for infotainment. What was once a serious news operation became a Confederacy of Dunces. Jeff Zucker should have never been hired and should be the first one out the door when AT&T takes over.
"One of the basic troubles with radio and television news is that both instruments have grown up as an incompatible combination of show business, advertising and news. Each of the three is a rather bizarre and demanding profession. And when you get all three under one roof, the dust never settles. The top management of the networks, with a few notable exceptions, has been trained in advertising, research, sales or show business. But by the nature of the corporate structure, they also make the final and crucial decisions having to do with news and public affairs. Frequently they have neither the time nor the competence to do this...
This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires and lights in a box. There is a great and perhaps decisive battle to be fought against ignorance, intolerance and indifference. This weapon of television could be useful."
Edward R Murrow CBS News
RTNDA Convention October 15, 1958
"One of the basic troubles with radio and television news is that both instruments have grown up as an incompatible combination of show business, advertising and news. Each of the three is a rather bizarre and demanding profession. And when you get all three under one roof, the dust never settles. The top management of the networks, with a few notable exceptions, has been trained in advertising, research, sales or show business. But by the nature of the corporate structure, they also make the final and crucial decisions having to do with news and public affairs. Frequently they have neither the time nor the competence to do this...
This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires and lights in a box. There is a great and perhaps decisive battle to be fought against ignorance, intolerance and indifference. This weapon of television could be useful."
Edward R Murrow CBS News
RTNDA Convention October 15, 1958
16
Not a CNN fan.
Not a CNN hater.
Don't even watch it.
HOWEVER- I will say this.
They apologized.
Fox News would have doubled down, called the naysayers liars, then told you Seth Rich forced them to air the story at gunpoint.
If you think CNN is a plague on journalism than you're either not paying attention or willfully ignorant.
Not a CNN hater.
Don't even watch it.
HOWEVER- I will say this.
They apologized.
Fox News would have doubled down, called the naysayers liars, then told you Seth Rich forced them to air the story at gunpoint.
If you think CNN is a plague on journalism than you're either not paying attention or willfully ignorant.
113
Certainly the New York Times has never even attempted--at least to the reader's eye--and kind of reflection on its unending coverage of Clinton "scandals" during the 2016 campaign and its confident story that there was no evidence of a Trump campaign-Russia link.
Better a retraction and apology than a stubborn insistence that all was and is well.
Better a retraction and apology than a stubborn insistence that all was and is well.
1
Watch Fox News when Sheppard Smith is anchoring in the afternoon. Conservative or Republican favoritism? No, exactly the opposite. Fox is far more centrist than CNN, MSNBC, The Times, or any of the 3 major networks.
2
They are both, along with a huge dose of bias, ands lots of lying.
2
Most cable news networks especially CNN are just shadows of their former selves peddling mostly sensationalism and controversy. Foreign broadcasts are more informative. Taken together a more complete picture of the news can be discerned.
34
CNN was actually informative 25 years ago, when they were a monopoly. Competition and corporate greed have driven them to the market of sensationalism, not objective, factual reporting of ALL news.
The most telling part of this story is that CNN even now refuses to disclose what its own legal department said before publication. You can bet it pointed out factual shortcomings and warned of potential liability.
I have stopped watching CNN entirely. Their bias is so blatant that even a lying fool can see it.
I have stopped watching CNN entirely. Their bias is so blatant that even a lying fool can see it.
50
Set yourself up for this one. Let's talk about lying fools. We have Scaramucci, we have Trump, we have Miller, we have Manafort, we have Kushner, we have Sessions, Ryan, McConnell, these are people with video records of lying to the American people, and you are are jumping on CNN for bias? Maybe if the above did not generate such daily outrages against the Republic, you wouldn't have to read all of this "bias".
11
Do you get your facts from fox so-called news, Gene? If so, I understand your comment. ALL Americans should access multiple news sources - including those outside The United States of America - if they want to even get close to the "real" news.
Worldwide media is controlled by a very few BIG money masters and they want one thing - more profit in their pockets. WE THE PEOPLE must demand they start delivering the truth or turn them off. CNN is not the place to start.
Worldwide media is controlled by a very few BIG money masters and they want one thing - more profit in their pockets. WE THE PEOPLE must demand they start delivering the truth or turn them off. CNN is not the place to start.
1
You forgot to mention Obama and Clinton. Just an oversight I guess. Plenty of tapes showing then lying.
Well the truth about CNN being a left wing liberal democrat propaganda machine comes out....
45
Stop already. Stringing together the usual chain of Breitbart/Fox parrot squawks does not an argument make. CNN has the same corporate concerns as any of the other bloated media companies, and this entire story strikes me as another hit against the critical work of the 4th Estate.
9
This article wouldn't exist if it wasn't needed. Good on the NYT for printing it. As I looked over the front page as the election approached it was clear to me that reality and the front page were not even close. With this article I'm forced to believe that the NYT is committed to proper journalism.
This most shocking information contained in this article is the suggestion anyone still watches CNN. I thought they had stopped broadcasting!
32
I haven't watched it since the last century.
1
I propose these constitutional amendments 1. Freedom from Propaganda. No government or agent or fifth estate shall promote an event that is not factually not true as being factually real and organic. 2. Freedom from Belief, no same as above shall require acceptance and belief to the detriment of an individuals sanity, employment, vocation, membership, citizenship, punishment and admonishment or freedom.
8