CNN, Taking Middle Path, Gets Squeezed By Rivals

New York Times:

The election of Barack Obama does not seem to have ushered in a kinder, less-polarized environment in politics -- or television.

And that's not a good break for CNN, a network whose strategy is to steer the middle course in its news coverage. CNN's competitors have been finding more success pounding away at those poles -- at least during prime time.

Read the whole story: New York Times

Comments

[VictoriaP]

Andrea Mitchell is the worst, ABSOLUTELY, STUNNINGLY less than attractive. The female version of the McCain corpse. Actually, Andrea Mitchell and John McCain eerily resemble albino monkeys.

I am open to the possibility that Contessa Brewer is WORSE than Andrea Mitchell.

[-0013]

The only network I watch is MSNBC and that is only so I can laugh at Olbermann and Maddow.

The numbers don't lie. Ratings are king. If MSNBC was number one in the 25-45 demo or even had decent ratings for any of their shows they would be crowing about and so would huff - post.

Unfortunately, that's not the case:

http://www.mediabistro.com/tvnewser/ratings/april_ratings_fnc_beats_cnn_and_msnbc_combined_115179.asp

[WilliamL]

CNN is as shameless as Fox.

[SodamY]

CNN is doing a good job, conservatives are always complaining about CNN being liberal and liberals are moaning about it being conservative. If you piss off both sides consistently you're doing a good job.

[karentexasdem]

I use to keep CNN on constantly for the news. Now I can barely watch it. They have recently only had right wing commentators and I have literally turned them off mid sentence. Anderson Cooper looks so insincere - and I use to think him creditable. Lou Dobbs should have been canned 2 years ago. Why have you tried to be anything but the news?

[JerryLevy]

CNN does not do middle of the road news reporting, that is their problem. When you have commentators like Jack Cafferty on the Wolf Blitzer show, that is news commentary. CNN just does not get it. By putting advocacy and opinion in shows you are positioning as pure news, your audience sees it and is insulted by it. At least FOX and MSNBC have commentary shows advocating a position. FOX has straight up news with Special Report. But CNN's notorious tilt leftward on all their news programs is well known. Let's face it, their CNN You Tube republican debate was a farce---no questions on foreign policy and economics but they planted a Clinton operative in the audience to ask about Gay marriage. And that was just the beginning.

[NevaforLeadership]

And don't forget Anderson Cooper's reporting on Hurricane Katrina: one of the most biased pieces of "reorting" that I have ever seen (and that doesn't mean I don't have incredible feelings for the victims of that hurricane).

That was the beginning of the end of CNN for me. Since I cut off my cable, I check CNN news on the internet every morning (amongst other news sites). Each morning I'm aghast at the headlines -- like the forbidden, sensational rags full of blood and thunder, bullshit and nonsense that, as kids, we read by torchlight under the bed covers at night.

Before I go, let's not also forget about Nancy Grace (or should I say Nancy Disgrace), who as prosecutor, judge and jury, convicts her nightly lineup.

[AndThenOneDay]

Forbidden, sensastional rags full of blood and thunder? Go on...?

[AndThenOneDay]

MSNBC leans left, you'd concur? So why would MSNBC be the 'winner' if, as you state, the audience is offended by imbedded left-leaning commentary in CNN broadcasts?

I think you are taking the wrong lesson from this phenomenon.

[fredamae]

How did Rating's become More important that Quality Investigative Journalism­..

I believe they simply compete for the #1 spot for the Most outrageous act of delivering "Yellow Journalism".
Truth, facts in reporting have Long ago, Gone.

As things have been "Overblown" for the sake of ratings, so goes the Dire Reporting of the Economy and Swine Flu...and if No One takes these reports seriously and "they" were Actually telling the truth? ..Well, the responsibility lays with MSM for their Established Pattern of Exaggerated BS.

Too many Mistruths, too much Mis-Information, too much Bias, too Much sensationa­lism......­.
Most people don't believe anything they hear.

[NevaforLeadership]

It is unbelievably outrageous that CNN is even discussing whether it needs to move from its middle, unbiased road to a left or right biased road.

Schools of Journalism what on earth are you teaching? If journalists had to sign on to a code of ethics to maintain their standings, there would be no discussions about slanted news.

I cut off my cable over two years ago. My life has been transformed. I don't have to listen to those biased journalists and slanted commentators anymore. There are millions who no longter watch that crap on TV. The millions are mostly young people, who prefer to choose their own content on the internet.

Sooner than later there will be no discussion about slanting television news to the left or right. There will be no more television news. And the professionals in the Media will be to blame, just as the unions are to blame for the demise of their own auto industry.

[AndThenOneDay]

Watch Tim Sebastian moderate the Doha Debates. He gives both sides a thorough grilling and makes them defend their positions. I would like to see that form of 'objectivity' as opposed to the dueling @sshat forum preferred by US cable news.

[BarackDaVote]

I used to tolerate CNN during the primary election coverage but they have FALLEN by the way side. I can't gather any strength to watch them. They are really terrible especially some of their democrat and ALL of their republican strategist and pundits...­.Get it together CNN!

[Terrence0258]

CNN's idea of being objective is having a liberal "strategist" debate a conservative "strategist" with someone in the middle that pretends not to have an opinion. That isn't objectivity, its just combining the pundits from FOX and MSNBC without the name recognition.

[clearthinker2008]

They are doing it to themselves by going more and more to the right as the country goes more and more toward the left.

[flossophy]

What if there is no such thing as 'objective news'?

[NevaforLeadership]

Just report what happened. Period. No opinion. Are you too young to remember that news used to be like that?

Then if a media outlet wants to present different perspectives on a show billed as an Opinion Show, by all means do so, but present both sides and disclose the agendas of those participating.

Spend some money on documentaries about the history and status of such things as capitalism, socialism, communism, democracy, dictatorships, etc., so that people can watch with interest and become truly informed voters.

[flossophy]

Bull puckey... go youtube some old news broadcasts­...

[totalliberal]

Sometimes there is only one take on what happened. CNN always puts some right-wing nut on air expressing his dislike President Obama no matter what the story. They even have guys on-board pontificating about how badly "they" think our President is doing. Most of them are old, has-been conservatives that lost the last election through their inability to stick with what their plan is.

Let's face it, they have no plans other than getting elected again so they can rake in the dough.

[clearthinker2008]

"Sometimes there is only one take on what happened."

You are absolutely right about this and more people need to understand this.

[AndThenOneDay]

Ron Burgundy: Mmm. San Diego. Drink it in, it always goes down smooth. Discovered by the Germans in 1904, they named it San Diego, which of course in German means "a whale's va gina".
Veronica Corningstone: ...No, there's no way that's correct.
Ron Burgundy: I'm sorry, I was trying to impress you. I don't know what it means. I'll be honest, I don't think anyone knows what it means anymore. Scholars maintain that the translation was lost hundreds of years ago.
Veronica Corningstone: Doesn't it mean "Saint Diego"?
Ron Burgundy: No. No.
Veronica Corningstone: No, that's - that's what it means. Really.
Ron Burgundy: Well. Agree to disagree.

[LiberalBuzz]

CNN has never been in the middle. They tilt to the right so often that it's unpleasant to watch them trying to be Fox lite.

I see them more often than not giving a lot more airtime to moronic rightwingers and I always ask myself, WHY do they let people get away with lying?

Seriously, they had some nutter from the senate going on and on and on about what a great thing torture was and how it had save America time and time again with absolutely NO rebuttal to those lies. They never once said, that there is no evidence that torture works and the stories this senator (some really old far t I wouldn't let near my nieces) told were whoppers.

You want to get ratings DO YOUR HOMEWORK FIRST then question these guys. Put them on the spot. Irrespective of which side they are on and watch the ratings go up.