(From TWD )
It's like news nowadays is akin to the S.O.P. it has no nadir in sight.
Based on their Potomatic River coverage, it appears CNN has continued in its descent to be the shell of the great network it used to be:
Later, CNN withheld reports from the Associated Press, which it regularly uses for its news reports, which stated that the Coast Guard confirmed there was an exercise.
The CNN reports were immediately picked up by other national media, and international media, including BNO News.
And get this:
But not only was it a bad-timed exercise in the heart of the U.S. capital, also CNN apparently jumped to report the incident when emergency services, during the exercise, discussed the fake incident on emergency scanners. Reporters on air were seen discussing the possibility of a terrorist attack and if an attack could have hit the Pentagon when the boat succeeded into the restricted area.
Irresponsible and blatantly dishonest, in order to fit their agenda of covering what is going on with the Coast Guard today.
You can argue on whether it was a good idea for the Coast Guard to do this, especially on this day of all days. That is one totally different discussion, and I feel it is a bad look in some way indeed for them to do their fake test.
But for CNN to hide the news in order for ratings to be generated, as well as heighten people's fears while watching their coverage, is just another sad blow to journalism in this country.
Pretty pathetic, isn't it?
(From TWD, hopefully never EVER doing that, Peace)
Updated: By the way, Adam Currier, Coast Guard Chief of Staff, said "This is a everyday routine."
Updated 2: HAHAHAHA, White House slams them:
White House press secretary Robert Gibbs today criticized CNN – not the Coast Guard – over the panic caused by the agency’s training exercise on the Sept. 11 anniversary, saying that the alarm could have been avoided if the network had checked its facts.
Gibbs said he wouldn’t second-guess Coast Guard leadership for holding a Potomac River exercise on the morning of the Sept. 11 commemoration. But he took a shot at CNN, which initially didn’t know the maneuvers in the Potomac were part of an exercise and erroneously reported that gunshots were fired – something the homeland security department said didn’t occur.
“Let’s understand that, best I can tell, there was reporting based on listening to a police scanner that was not verified, and then it was on television, and now we’ve raced back to find out that it’s a training exercise. So I think it appears as if a lot of this might have been avoided,” Gibbs said.
Gibbs told reporters that the Coast Guard was holding a news conference to explain the exercise. "Hopefully CNN will go,” Gibbs quipped. "My only caution would be that before we report things like this, checking would be good."
The incident also set off a terse exchange between Gibbs and CNN reporter Elaine Quijano over the incident as Gibbs briefed reporters. Quijano asked whether the public should have been informed about a training exercise on the Sept. 11 anniversary.
"If we set aside the media coverage, would you be asking this question?" Gibbs said.