CNN isn't accurate, but FOX Noise is much, much worse. Happy Halloween
There are 2 (English) CNNs available to American TV viewers. One is for an American audience that is very patriotic and thinks we have the right to do whatever we want. The other CNN, CNN International, does not have an America-Centric view of the world. To them, football is soccer, and the world economy includes something called the “footsie”. (spelled FTSE)
On a scale of 1-10, CNN for American audiences is about a 4 for news value on good days. CNN International is about an 8, or twice as good. Regular CNN is very pro-American and doesn’t cover as much international news that does not directly involve the United States. There are many conservative American pundits giving out their opinions also. And then there is, sadly, the racist Lou Dobbs show. American CNN also spends too much time on missing (white) children or missing (white) women, if there is one that’s attractive enough to show on the air every day. They also followed the Heene’s helium balloon for several hours — live — the day it was aloft. All in all, American CNN is quite pathetic if you want real news. CNN International is much better for all non-American news. In a related observation, I noticed something about NBC Nightly News the last two evenings: they are now engaged in active pro-Afghanistan war propaganda, which can only mean their parent company, GE, wants the war in Afghanistan to continue for a long time. It must be good for business.
Malalai Joya and the Tale of 2 CNNs
“The Bravest Woman in Afghanistan,” Malalai Joya did two CNN interviews on Thursday. Joya is an elected member of the Afghanistan parliament who has been suspended for “insulting fellow members of parliament” in a television interview. She is articulate and firm in her position that the Western occupation is feeding the violence.
The first interview was broadcast on CNN (US). In the middle of the interview, as Joya made clear she opposed US occupation, interviewer Heidi Collins said “occupation would certainly be your word, a lot of people would take great issue with you calling the US presence in your country an ‘occupation’.” Joya went on to defend her position as Collins’ interrupted snidely. As Joya tried to respond to Collins, she was cut off. (See videos after break)
The second interview took place on CNN International. Joya’s anti-occupation position was highlighted up front and the interviewer was polite and respectful.
This is, sadly, typical. But it’s also instructive, because we can see how differently the news is presented from the U.S. “news” anchors and the international ones. The rest of the world sees the U.S. as occupiers of Afghanistan — but that’s offensive to an American anchor on American CNN. She is wrong that that would offend the rest of us, though.
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