CNN's latest TV promo implores their viewers to "declare their independence." The spot claims the network has "no spin, no agenda, no affiliation" and urges viewers to "get the facts." Hmmmmm. Nice try CNN.
No agenda eh? How about your self-proclaimed middle class champion Lou Dobbs' nightly America First style xenophobic sermons on the "scourge" of illegal immigration. Let's not forget Nancy Grace's openly anti-choice position and her sameless advocacy of intervention in the Terri Schiavo affair.
No afiliation - yeah right. How about Glenn Beck - who mouths the latest White House talking points on a nightly basis?
No Spin - How about the network's cowardly coverage after September 11th; consistently pushing the Bush agenda and the "war on terror." Eventually you became advocacy journalists beating the drum for the war in Iraq; embedding yourselves in combat units and assisting US Military psy-ops.
Certainly your coverage of the 2008 election includes some balance. We see a few progressives here and there. You might get an Ed Shultz now and agian. But generally those who anchor the coverage are conservatives or right leaning centrists like ex-aipac lobbyist Wolf Blitzer or close friend of the Bush family, Larry King who really is more about popular culture than politics. Even one of your Advocacy journalists, Lou Dobbs holds court during primary election night coverage.
CNN - if you want to truly claim this so-called "independent" mantle, I have two suggestions: You jettison right-wingers like Lou Dobbs, Glenn Beck, and Nancy Grace - or you give some real airtime to a progressive and create some semblance of balance on your network. Then and only then will CNN be able to start to move towards unbiased coverage. Until then - CNN will slant right of center.