I turned on the TV today sometime around 2PM. I was flipping the channels and I got to channel 8 (CNN) and I saw scrolled across the bottom of the screen, "Pope John Paul II is dead". Being the non-liberal that I am (I can never take CNN at their word) I decided that this required further investigation. I flipped to FoxNews, channel 64, scrolled across the bottom of FoxNews I read, "the pope is still alive".
I figured, wait a minute, this requires a little further investigation. I punched in channel 23, MSNBC, scrolled across the bottom, "The pope is alive, his condition is deteriorating fast". Ok I thought, so far, it's a 50/50 shot the pope is still alive. So next, I flip over to channel 25, CNBC, "the pope is alive, his condition is worsening."
Well hell, I'm thinking to myself, is he alive or dead? So, I flip back to channel 8. Now I read across the bottom of the screen, "Vatican denies pope is dead".
Did CNN jump the gun a bit here? You know, it's one thing to report that another earthquake hit and a tsunami is expected, it's a whole different thing to report that a historical figure like the pope is dead! Why is it so important to get the scoop, instead of getting the story straight? When will we get back to the point where the truth is as important as the story?
Just so you know, this was something I viewed with my own eyes, so no, I have no links to it or anything like that. You can dispute it all you want, but I saw it and that's all the proof I need!
If you can answer that one, you win the Cupie Kewpie Doll! (Thanks Dave)
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Article comments
— go to most recent comments1 - andy marsh
Here it is, 9PM, he's still alive! I would say, they jumped the gun.
2 - DrPat
Hey, it's already tomorrow in Italy, and the Pope is still alive...
3 - Hairy
Maybe you need to read this article and watch the FNC video
NEW YORK - Fox News Channel erroneously reported the death of Pope John Paul II on Friday afternoon, swiftly backpedaled and, within 45 minutes, apologized to viewers for the mistake.
Television networks were marshaling resources and dealing with conflicting reports as the pope's illness took a turn for the worse Friday, maintaining an electronic vigil like the Roman Catholic faithful gathered in St. Peter's Square.
Viewers could be forgiven for confusion as the cable news networks flashed reports at them. At 12:30 p.m. EST, MSNBC posted the words "Pope lost consciousness" on its screen. At the same moment, CNN was reporting: "Pope visibly joining in prayers of those around him."
But at 1:23 p.m., Fox News Channel anchor Shepard Smith reported that the pope had died. At least initially, he did not cite sources.
Within a few minutes, Fox reporter Greg Palkot in Rome was sending signals of caution, saying the report had not been confirmed and the network was checking into it.
"The exact time of death is not something that matters so much at the moment," Smith said.
It was unclear whether Smith had reacted to a report by the Italian news agency ADNKronos that a brain monitor hooked to the pope had gone flat. The agency cited no sources for its report, and a senior Vatican official, speaking on condition of anonymity, later told The Associated Press the pope was alive and that there was no such monitoring device in his apartment.
Fox spokeswoman Irena Briganti said a Fox producer, monitoring a translation of reports from Italian media, erroneously shouted that the pope had died and it had gotten on the air through an open mike. Smith was responding to the producer's words.
At 2 p.m., Smith explained to viewers that a Fox affiliate in Italy had been listening to an inaccurate report and it was transmitted to Fox.
"By way of explanation, I am very sorry," Smith said. "That's all I can say."
About five minutes after Fox's report, CNN reported that there were conflicting news agency reports about whether the pope was still alive. One of its Vatican reporters, Delia Gallagher, said CNN had no independent confirmation and "we have to be very careful."
The Associated Press sent an advisory to its members at 1:31 p.m. that some Italian media were reporting the pope was dead and that the AP was trying to verify the reports. At 1:55 p.m., the AP sent a NewsAlert that the Vatican had denied he was dead.
"There are a lot of conflicting reports over there and we apologize for the confusion," CNN's Miles O'Brien told viewers.
NBC News aired a special report around noon saying the pope was gravely ill, but for the most part the broadcast networks were on standby. NBC's Brian Williams stayed in the network studio for most of the day, ready to go on the air at a moment's notice with a special report.
NBC's Matt Lauer made it to Rome to anchor the "Today" show on Friday morning. Other network correspondents were either there or en route: ABC's George Stephanopoulos and CBS' John Roberts. NBC said Williams will also be heading to Vatican City.
Television networks have been preparing for this story behind the scenes for years, renting apartments and space on roofs overlooking St. Peter's Square so their anchors and reporters will have backdrops for the story. They were starting to use some of that space on Friday.
Almost forgotten by the cable news networks was the story to which they had devoted most of their airtime for the past two weeks: Terri Schiavo, who died on Thursday.
4 - Dave Nalle
It's 'kewpie' doll, btw.
Dave
5 - andy marsh
You're right Dave, my bad.
Hairy - why do I need to read some other article when I saw it with my own eyes? Mayve EVERY other network reported the pope had died, but it took CNN the longest to correct the error.
6 - Matthew Egan
Seeing with your own eyes is fine. I saw it too, but apparently Fox was just as quick to try and get the scoop as CNN.
7 - andy marsh
I agree Matthew, however, only one of those MSM stations stuck to it's guns that long, so convinced that their story was the correct story. They didn't just say, sorry, we screwed up, they posted on their screen that the vatican denied their story, not that their story was inaccurate.
8 - bhw
While flipping through channels helping my daughter find a show to watch late yesterday afternoon, I stopped briefly to watch a local news report. I hit the clicker again when I heard the reporter say, "A spokesman is ready to give a statement after the Pope dies. We'll be here live."
Another death watch by the media. It's pretty sick, as is their zeal to be the first on the scene, accuracy be damned.
9 - Tristan
We have become a nation of Vultures, it seems .................
Maybe we sense something "bigger" on it's way ............
10 - andy marsh
now someone is putting comments in under my name...cute really fucking cute.
Can someone put a stop to this please? Comment 10 is not mine.
11 - gonzo marx
oh my stars and garters..
andy sez...
*I've seen the film "Outfoxed" but I still think Fox News is the most legit TV news network in the business.*
the use of "most legit TV news" might be the Qualifier needed to make me stop laughing
allow me to just raise one point as to why i believe Fox is even more of an insidious propaganda machine than the other "infotainment news" sources that are out for ratings and ad dollars as opposing to any Journalistic Ethic
to andy..or anyone for that matter...can you tell me whi is the Chief Political Editor of Fox news and why this single fact is relevant to discrediting ANYTHING they put out there in the political arena as something other than spin and propaganda in a very real and literal sense?
go on..look it up yourselves...i'll wait..
for those unable to find it, or who are unwilling to go thru the effort, i'll Enlighten
none other than the Author and Aerchitect of the "Republican Revoloution" himself...former Speaker of the House, and the man that divorced his wife on her death bed so he could marry his own intern...Newt Gingrich
nuff said?
Excelsior!
12 - andy marsh
I DIDN'T MAKE THE COMMENTS IN #10
13 - Matthew Egan
having an identity crisis, are we?
14 - andy marsh
someone is...and it ain't me.
15 - andy marsh
I would never ever apologize for my weirdness!
16 - gonzo marx
fair enuff andy..my Apologies then
my comments are directed at post #10, no matter who wrote it
how's that?
Excelsior!
17 - Scott
"Why is it so important to get the scoop, instead of getting the story straight? When will we get back to the point where the truth is as important as the story?"
It's called money, my friend. The only real media bias is towards making it. And you can take that to the bank.
18 - andy marsh
that works for me too gonzo! I take all the MSM with a grain of salt...which is why I was surfing the news channels in the first place. Getting differing views on the days events.
For the record, I don't listen rush, oreilly, hannity or any of the other nutjobs out there. I've developed this strange view of the world all on my own.
19 - gonzo marx
andy sez..
*For the record, I don't listen rush, oreilly, hannity or any of the other nutjobs out there. I've developed this strange view of the world all on my own.*
fair dinkum, cobber..
thanks for the Disclosure..it will make any future Discussions that much more Interesting
>bows, hand over fist<
Excelsior!
20 - andy marsh
I hope it does gonzo...I hope it does...
21 - bhw
Andy, I have some very conservative friends who freely admit that Fox news is conservatively biased. That's why they like it. They don't think Fox presents a balanced view; they think Fox balances out what they perceive to be the liberal bias of other news outlets. But that doesn't mean Fox itself provides a balanced view, no matter what their marketing department says.
22 - gonzo marx
*I love Fox News, and everyone else should too.*
and that sums it all up, gentle Readers..
yer humble Narrator sez "nekkid"...you decide..
Excelsior!
23 - Frankie
Fox reports, you decide??! That about sums up they're crappy reporting.
I guess what the FOX slogan means is, "FOX reports, and you need to decide whether we're lying, doing our usual sloppy reporting, or just being our usual radical right wing tool."
24 - andy marsh
that's not me folks. comment 10 or 22. Someone with no balls is using my name.
25 - Eric Olsen
those who post comments using someone else's name will be banned