# CNN Reporter: "I don't know what part of Neverland Senator McCain is talking about.." **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 28, 2007, 1:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773 "2007-03-28T01:41:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![aliquot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@aliquot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aliquot)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 12:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773/21 "2007-03-28T12:40:23Z")
[QUOTE=RTFirefly] Maybe they’ve finally realized how totally out of it they’ll look if they keep trying to be Fox News Jr. [/QUOTE] My guess would be that this was a tired, frustrated field reporter making off-the-cuff comments after being fed a heaping plate of politician bullshit. Had any of the executives or editors or whoever been able to vet his comments beforehand, they’d have been much more sanguine and far less noticeable. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773/22 "2007-03-28T12:48:18Z")
McCain’s credibility has taken some hits, but he’s not the only one. > [@Michael Ware](#): > > I mean, Senator McCain’s credibility now on Iraq, which has been so solid to this point, has now been left out hanging to dry…I don’t know what part of Neverland Senator McCain is talking about… Apparently Ware thinks he’s in some Neverland where he can toss off remarks as if he’s a commentator or editorialist. Ware is a _reporter_. His job is to lay out the facts as he sees them, not speculate on McCain’s credibility. His comments were extremely unprofessional. If CNN wants to enhance its reputation as a dependable news source, this is exactly the wrong way to go about it - regardless of whether it’s what antiwar advocates\* want to hear. What some of you are cheering is a hit to CNN’s reputation. \*count me among them. ---
**Author:** ![Elsie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b2d939/32.png) [@Elsie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elsie)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773/23 "2007-03-28T12:49:47Z")
[QUOTE=BrightNShiny] I say we invade Neverland. [/QUOTE] Think you’d be okay initially, but in the post-invasion environment I’d be worried about maintaining security once Michael and his little friends woke up. ---
**Author:** ![Steve\_MB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steve_mb/32/5339_2.png) [@Steve\_MB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Steve_MB)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 12:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773/24 "2007-03-28T12:54:11Z")
[QUOTE=Gatopescado] Any of us been there? [/QUOTE] Did Johnny Cochran offer this defense for O. J. Simpson, or was that too embarassing even for him? ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773/25 "2007-03-28T13:08:42Z")
John McCain says its safe, and by God, he was prisoner of war for his country- how dare anyone question him? ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773/26 "2007-03-28T13:20:46Z")
[QUOTE=Elsie] Think you’d be okay initially, but in the post-invasion environment I’d be worried about maintaining security once Michael and his little friends woke up. [/QUOTE] But everything would work out OK as long as we clapped harder. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773/27 "2007-03-28T13:24:42Z")
[QUOTE=Wee Bairn] John McCain says its safe, and by God, he was prisoner of war for his country- how dare anyone question him? [/QUOTE] I think maybe a bunch of us libruls should take up a collection for McCain, to pay for round-trip airfare from D.C. to Baghdad, plus cabfare to this mysterious street where one can take a casual stroll in safety, so he can test out his theory. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773/28 "2007-03-28T13:31:24Z")
[QUOTE=Jackmannii] McCain’s credibility has taken some hits, but he’s not the only one.Apparently Ware thinks he’s in some Neverland where he can toss off remarks as if he’s a commentator or editorialist. Ware is a _reporter_. His job is to lay out the facts as he sees them, not speculate on McCain’s credibility. His comments were extremely unprofessional. If CNN wants to enhance its reputation as a dependable news source, this is exactly the wrong way to go about it - regardless of whether it’s what antiwar advocates\* want to hear. What some of you are cheering is a hit to CNN’s reputation. \*count me among them. [/QUOTE] Poppycock. His job is to lay out the facts, _and that is exactly what he did_. Saying that McCain is way off base _is a fact_. One line about McCain’s credibility, which virtually logically follows from the fact outlined, may be out of his purview, but that he’s willing to tell the unguarded truth far outweighs that “error”. ---
**Author:** ![Elsie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b2d939/32.png) [@Elsie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elsie)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 1:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773/29 "2007-03-28T13:39:09Z")
Agree, Ware told the story straight, and signed off with a rhetorical flourish. You’d only get distracted by the latter if it suited you. ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773/30 "2007-03-28T13:58:35Z")
[QUOTE=Richard Parker] Poppycock. His job is to lay out the facts, _and that is exactly what he did_. Saying that McCain is way off base _is a fact_. [/quote] Not even close. It’s an opinion. You can’t tell the difference? Here are acceptable lines from Ware’s report: > [@](#): > > Sectarian violence – one particular type of violence – is down. But none of the American generals here on the ground have anything like Senator McCain’s confidence… in the hour since Senator McCain has said this, I’ve spoken to some military sources and there was laughter down the line. I mean, certainly, the general travels in a Humvee. There’s multiple Humvees around it, heavily armed. There’s attack helicopters, predator drones, sniper teams, all sorts of layers of protection. From all this the listener can draw conclusions as to McCain’s credibility on this issue. If CNN wants, it’s perfectly fine to follow that up with an editorial slamming McCain. Ware is not the person to be editorializing, or making “rhetorical flourishes”. The fact that CNN and other media don’t have the balls to make strong editorial statements doesn’t let them off the hook for this lapse. Viewers deserve an apology and Ware should be told that if he can’t control himself on air, he can find work elsewhere. Maybe the _Guardian_ or some other venue where fact and opinion are freely intermixed without a sense of shame. ---
**Author:** ![Wee\_Bairn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/90db22/32.png) [@Wee\_Bairn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wee_Bairn)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773/31 "2007-03-28T13:58:48Z")
[QUOTE=RTFirefly] I think maybe a bunch of us libruls should take up a collection for McCain, to pay for round-trip airfare from D.C. to Baghdad, plus cabfare to this mysterious street where one can take a casual stroll in safety, so he can test out his theory. [/QUOTE] Assuming the airport is functioning that day, and the cab company was not recently bombed 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 2:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773/32 "2007-03-28T14:00:06Z")
Is this an example of someone encouraging CNN to shape its coverage of McCain in a particular fashion? Sort of like the outbreak of questions about McCain’s intemperate disposition back in 2000? I’m no fan of McCain, but I also don’t want fully to celebrate a specific, unique and limited example of the press pointing out that the Emperor is naked. Many, many conservatives make many, many outlandish and dubious claims about the nature of things in Iraq, as well as elsewhere in the world. Why is CNN now deciding to call McCain on his craziness? I’ll be satisfied if this is the first of many reality based reports, but I won’t be if this is the work of someone like Rove trying to sandbag a rival. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773/33 "2007-03-28T14:03:01Z")
[QUOTE=Elsie] Agree, Ware told the story straight, and signed off with a rhetorical flourish. You’d only get distracted by the latter if it suited you. [/QUOTE] Or you’d excuse it for the same reason. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773/34 "2007-03-28T14:10:08Z")
[QUOTE=Jackmannii] Apparently Ware thinks he’s in some Neverland where he can toss off remarks as if he’s a commentator or editorialist. Ware is a _reporter_. His job is to lay out the facts as he sees them, not speculate on McCain’s credibility. His comments were extremely unprofessional. [/QUOTE] I wouldn’t be surprised if CNN wants its reporters to show some attitude. Everybody loves a ‘gotcha,’ and it’s cheesy. That said, I can’t help but wonder how many people might be alive today if journalists had occasionally evaluated the truth of what we were being told about Iraq in 2002 and 2003 instead of just repeating whatever the politicians said about it. ---
**Author:** ![NurseCarmen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/5daacb/32.png) [@NurseCarmen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NurseCarmen)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 2:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773/35 "2007-03-28T14:10:15Z")
If you were a Shia in Muqtada’s stronghold area in Sadr City, things aren’t so bad. You pretty much _can_ walk the neighborhood without much fear. Cafes are open and markets are sometimes. The militia there has succumbed to pressure from various forces and suspended their activities. As an American, or more specifically, a non-shia, the only question I would have about Mr. McCain walking through Sadr City is; How much would the ransom be, and would they just kill him outright, or have some fun with it? ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Parker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/35a633/32.png) [@Richard\_Parker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Parker)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 2:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773/36 "2007-03-28T14:14:13Z")
[QUOTE=Jackmannii] Not even close. It’s an opinion. You can’t tell the difference? Here are acceptable lines from Ware’s report:From all this the listener can draw conclusions as to McCain’s credibility on this issue. If CNN wants, it’s perfectly fine to follow that up with an editorial slamming McCain. Ware is not the person to be editorializing, or making “rhetorical flourishes”. The fact that CNN and other media don’t have the balls to make strong editorial statements doesn’t let them off the hook for this lapse. Viewers deserve an apology and Ware should be told that if he can’t control himself on air, he can find work elsewhere. Maybe the _Guardian_ or some other venue where fact and opinion are freely intermixed without a sense of shame. [/QUOTE] Ware showed how McCain was factually wrong on his statement about Iraq. Not just wrong, but naively and obviously wrong. The conclusion that therefore his credibility suffers is hardly flamboyant editorial. Now, if your complaint is that, as a reporter, he should limit himself to a certain set of facts (i.e. not facts about the credibility of politicians), that’s an entirely different point altogether (and I think also wrong). ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773/37 "2007-03-28T14:16:36Z")
[McCaffrey Paints Gloomy Picture of Iraq](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/27/AR2007032701923.html) > [@](#): > > An influential retired Army general released a dire assessment of the situation in Iraq, based on a recent round of meetings there with Gen. David H. Petraeus and 16 other senior U.S. commanders. > > “The population is in despair,” retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey wrote in an eight-page document compiled in his capacity as a professor at West Point. “Life in many of the urban areas is now desperate.” > … > The government lacks dominance in every province, he added. One result is that “no Iraqi government official, coalition soldier, diplomat, reporter, foreign NGO [nongovernmental organization], nor contractor can walk the streets of Baghdad, nor Mosul, nor Kirkuk, nor Basra, nor Tikrit, nor Najaf, nor Ramadi, without heavily armed protection.” ---
**Author:** ![Elsie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b2d939/32.png) [@Elsie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elsie)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773/38 "2007-03-28T14:18:50Z")
Maybe, but apart from that McCain is spot on. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773/39 "2007-03-28T14:19:52Z")
[QUOTE=Wee Bairn] John McCain says its safe, and by God, he was prisoner of war for his country- how dare anyone question him? [/QUOTE] If I say it’s safe to surf this beach, Captain, then it’s safe to surf this beach! ---
**Author:** ![Quiddity\_Glomfuster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/c4cdca/32.png) [@Quiddity\_Glomfuster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quiddity_Glomfuster)\ **Post date:** [March 28, 2007, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773/40 "2007-03-28T14:25:53Z")
[QUOTE=Hentor the Barbarian] Why is CNN now deciding to call McCain on his craziness? [/QUOTE] People who report myth as fact annoy me. CNN isn’t ‘now’ deciding anything. If people would watch it rather than choosing to believe that it’s ‘another Fox’, they would have seen that, for quite a while, Blitzer, Cafferty, and a few others have been calling the Administration’s bluff at every opportunity. They also invite the righties on to parrot the Pubbie talking points, but it was a CNN panel that Novak walked off when he was called on his BS. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cnn-reporter-i-dont-know-what-part-of-neverland-senator-mccain-is-talking-about/397773.md?page=3)