The 23/6 Network News Apology-o-Tron

China has angrily rejected an attempted apology from CNN for their commentator Jack Cafferty saying the Chinese were "goons" and that their products were "junk." CNN's original statement just made things worse, explaining that Cafferty's remarks referred to "the Chinese government and not to Chinese people." Not exactly begging for forgiveness.

This is far from the first time a TV news network has had to apologize for its irresponsibility. Remember CBS's Dan Rather Memo-Gate fiasco? MSNBC's Chelsea Clinton Pimp-Gate controversy? And ABC certainly has some explaining to do after this week's Half-Assed Issueless Presidential Debate-Gate debacle. As a favor to embarrassed journalists everywhere, we've created the 23/6 Network News Apology-o-Tron to help news networks properly regret their mistakes.

Read the whole story here.

Comments

[AurigaRa]

only reasons to EVER turn on CNN -- Jack Cafferty (and Toobin)

[cramos]

Only reason to watch CNN is lou dobbs

[AurigaRa]

Jack
Do whatever you have to do to pacify these goons.
We want to stay alive and on the air.

[shoeshoot]

go jack go. i'm tired of our government and some of the people defending china. if you know anybody whose kids got sick from their products or animals than you will understanding that jack is right. the people of china need to rise up and take their government back. their toys are tainted and we all know it. jack was just speaking the truth and if people can't handle it to bad. we treat china with kid gloves. we need to treat them like the crocks that they are.

[cramos]

ONE down .........could not have happend to a nicer guy..........

ONE less OBAMA mouthpiece OFF of CNN..........

[venusflytrap]

I was willing ti bet that Cafferty would have a different slant on things and find the chinks in their armor. You can't go wong listening to Jack.

[SaveTheSealsClubANewfie]

Cafferty, Toobin and Amanpour are the only reason to watch that otherwise useless network. The rest of their staff are panderers and media whores.

[Beowoof]

Good for Jack. Officials in China and Mexico are so valiant in their defense of the people that they oppress. How dare you call our people goons. We're thinking of keeping the junk or selling it to a nation who appreciates it's value.

[mcnote5150]

China needs to be reformed in the western tradition(if possible) and that will take time but we need to put them on notice and not cow tao to them for Walmart. Last support the democratic faction in China and stand up for Tibet.
As for the protest against CNN, it's manufactured as in made in China!

[mcnote5150]

Jack told the truth! The people who are outraged are Walmart, Wall Street, and US retail. Why? Profits! Low cost goods, higher mark ups, bigger profits. It's all about gross margins.

As for China "the middle kingdom" .They are in their mind's Asia and have thought this way for 4000 years. You see it in Tibet. They are an empire with an emperor no matter what the call it today. Communism is a guise for imperial power. Many of the facets of imperial China still exist, the bloated and corrupt bureaucracy, (see tainted food and toy's), authoritarian state , with little or no civil rights, political prisons and slave labor, ( tiananmen square, do speak out against the regime ). China is a very conservative culture, there has been no enlightenment process as there has been in the west and holds on to it's old ways. American free marketers believe economic and social prosperity go hand and hand but look at Russia, South America, Mexico this is not the case, yes there is a middle class but the poor far outnumber it, unlike the US.
American business has some naive hope that China will let them become established in their country and reap the rewards. Yes that's happening now as China has it learning curve but once that learning curve is over US multi nationals will be marginalized. US executives don't care it's a cash grab, they're looking forward to retirement .No more "sphere's of influence" or opium wars".

[TN]

Jack, apoligize after they apoligize to Americans and their children for trying to poisen us.

[JohnJames]

Umm. Chinese products are cr@p. I'm amazed when most products from that country last more than three months. A little anecdote - after hearing that some apparel coming from China might be toxic - who knows for sure since our government isn't terribly interested in testing it - and needing a new pair of boots I searched around the web until I came upon a brand called Redwing that, amazingly, still makes some of its shoes here and the rest in China. I ordered a 10 1/2 made in Michigan. They turned out to be too small and the only size 11's were from China. So I gave up and settled for those. Funny thing is both pairs cost the same amount - a whopping $185.00. So aside from their typically poor quality and possible toxicity, where's the supposed benefit to the American consumer in savings?

[robertsandimas]

Anybody who keeps up with global politics and with those in the media who comment on it know exactly what Cafferty meant. No apology was needed. The PC biz is getting old.

[pleeezzze]

Good !! Jack Cafferty is an ass!
All he ever has done is Trash other people !
Every time his face shows up ,I change channels .

[heal57]

Gee, Jack's the only reason I ever watch CNN anymore.

[oceanlover]

Jack is a coward. FULL STOP. As a member of the media who has called asking for simple on the record interviews over the years, he hasn't the courage, class, or decency to even ever return the calls despite his lovely assistant's efforts to get him to show the professionalism to at least pick up the phone. He's all bluster and courage when you don't call him on his "sh-t". This guy was a notorious drunk when he worked at NBC back in the 80's. He's a joke and it's shameful CNN has him on air. Talk about goons and thugs. Jack's as downright common as they come.

[AurigaRa]

maybe he doesnt like you

Love Jack!

[TN]

I love Jack. He's the only one with any balls on CNN. I am wondering though when he'll have to apoligize for saying something about a fat lady singing when he refers to whether it is over for Hillary. I find it distasteful and I support Obama.

[winoohno]

Jack does seem like he has brass balls, so it will be interesting if he digs in and stands by his comments, OR -- capitulates to the Big Wigs at the corporate HQ.

I also agree with another commenter about asking China to apologize for sending us an array of poisonous products. Can anyone seriously doubt China's intention of flooding our market with cheap goods that may or may not be slowly killing us???

P.S. China is a COMMUNIST COUNTRY... why are we letting all their products into our country??? We have embargoes on Cuba, North Korea and other such countries, but with China -- we kiss their ass at every opportunity. I know they buy all of our Treasury Notes, but I cannot help but think we are slowly losing our sovereignty to those Red Commies.

[jaschrod]

Being offensive is not a problem if the truth is spoken, and Caffety speaks the truth. My suggestion to the Chinese that are here rather than in their own country, don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out.

[jaycasey]

I don't care for Cafferty's style of trying to create controversy to boost ratings - so I only see him if someone else has the TV turned to CNN - but, I don't think the Chinese government is in any position to be demanding an apology. In the first place that government doesn't represent the Chinese people - who have had that one-party rule forced on them. Secondly, China should be the first to apologize for invading Tibet in 1949 and subjugating its people ever since. China has so many things they need to be apologizing for that I cannot list them all here. But that doesn't stop Beijing from demanding apologies from other people and from trying to whip up nationalistic hatred among their subjects. Having Cafferty help them do that is unfortunate.