CNN's credibility collapse pushes viewership below one million for an entire week "Not a single show on CNN could reach one million viewers in the past week, a decline that is both highly symbolic of its collapsing credibility and financially meaningful to advertising rates. Its behavior this week suggests that the situation will only get worse."
How CBS and CNN went from reporting the news to distorting it
Yes, that means divas like Jim Acosta. A former top CNN exec (again, the name is withheld by the author) tells Attkisson, “If I were chairman of CNN, I would call [Acosta] and say, ‘Nobody elected you, and you’re not there to fight with the president of the United States.’ ” At the old CNN, Attkisson says, “a Jim Acosta would not have been possible.”
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| CNN chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta makes himself the star instead of focusing on the news -- a far cry from the network's early "just the facts" ethos, Sharyl Atkkisson claims |
"When Sharyl Attkisson discusses media bias, she isn’t just sharpshooting from a distant perch. She’s a true insider, having worked at CNN in the early days, when it was all news instead of peacocking personalities and venting about politics. She went on to be a star correspondent and anchor for CBS News, from which she resigned in frustration six years ago. When she talks about what kinds of stories get on the air and why, she has specific, damning details. In her new book “Slanted: How the News Media Taught Us to Love Censorship and Hate Journalism” (Harper), out later this month, she brings the receipts.
"The book opens with a stunning array of examples of undisguised bias from her superiors and colleagues as she fought to get investigative stories on the air at CBS. Back in 1996, when media mogul Steve Forbes was running for president, the following assignment came down to her at the Washington bureau: “Do a story on why Steve Forbes’ flat tax won’t work.” Forbes was running for president on a revolutionary idea about simplifying federal income tax so that an entire family tax return would fit on the proverbial postcard. Attkisson wasn’t told, “Do a story on the pros and cons of this” or “Look into whether this would work.” She was handed a conclusion and told to pick whatever facts might lead to it." . . . Full article here...
