CJR writer Thomas Lang writes that “CNN Stuns U.S. With Actual News!”
Today the network began simulcasting on its US network its meaty news program “Your World Today” that airs regularly on CNN International… CJR Daily tuned in at 11:45 a.m. EST. Right away we caught a promo for “Your World Today” — a promo that, as it turns out, actually contained more hard news than the five minutes of “CNN Live Today” that followed. (That was pretty easy to do, given that the “CNN Live Today” segment focused on how to keep your pet from shitting all over the hotel room once you leave the premises. Answer: Put the little bugger in a crate.)…
It speaks to the state of cable news that we sat in shock and awe for the better part of an hour, as anchors Zain Verjee and Jim Clancy did nothing more than deliver the news like it’s supposed to be done…Throughout Robertson’s report CNNI ran stock footage of burned villages, famished refugees and sick children to emphasize the severity of the crisis…Stunned by 15 straight minutes of actual news, we heard an equally incredulous CJR colleague in the background quip, “It’s weird to be watching news.” And indeed it was…
Around 20 minutes in, CNNI paused briefly to do its best imitation of CNN itself, touching on the Michael Jackson trial and the latest Attractive White Woman Gone Missing — Natalee Holloway, who disappeared in Aruba on a class trip.
On my cable network, the show comes on 11:00 AM on weekdays. Incidentally, my company broadcasts CNN Headline News(the American edition) 24 hours a day in the lunchrooms and cafeteria, something I find just bizarre. (Every time I take a piss, I hear about Michael Jackson).
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