# If I had any doubts about CNN before... "Showdown Iraq" **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [February 28, 2003, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-had-any-doubts-about-cnn-before-showdown-iraq/158164 "2003-02-28T16:45:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![ataraxy22](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ataraxy22/32/307_2.png) [@ataraxy22](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ataraxy22)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2003, 7:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-had-any-doubts-about-cnn-before-showdown-iraq/158164/21 "2003-03-01T07:04:12Z")
I just hope CNN doesn’t come up with an Iraqi reality show where the ousted member of the squadron is killed each week. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2003, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-had-any-doubts-about-cnn-before-showdown-iraq/158164/22 "2003-03-01T10:45:56Z")
I think this is an appropriate juncture to give y’all a [link](http://argument.independent.co.uk/commentators/story.jsp?story=381438) to an article **yojimbo** found the other day. It’s written by Robert Fisk, whose opinions many conservative dopers find unpalatable. However, he’s never been known to lie. > [@](#): > > A new CNN system of “script approval” – the iniquitous instruction to reporters that they have to send all their copy to anonymous officials in Atlanta to ensure it is suitably sanitised – suggests that the Pentagon and the Department of State have nothing to worry about. Nor do the Israelis. > > [snip] > > …reading a new CNN document, “Reminder of Script Approval Policy”, fairly takes the breath away. “All reporters preparing package scripts must submit the scripts for approval,” it says. “Packages may not be edited until the scripts are approved… All packages originating outside Washington, LA (Los Angeles) or NY (New York), including all international bureaus, must come to the ROW in Atlanta for approval.” > > The “ROW” is the row of script editors in Atlanta who can insist on changes or “balances” in the reporter’s dispatch. > > [snip] > > Note the key words here: “approved” and “authorised”. CNN’s man or woman in Kuwait or Baghdad – or Jerusalem or Ramallah – may know the background to his or her story; indeed, they will know far more about it than the “authorities” in Atlanta. But CNN’s chiefs will decide the spin of the story. ---
**Author:** ![Apos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@Apos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Apos)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2003, 10:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-had-any-doubts-about-cnn-before-showdown-iraq/158164/23 "2003-03-01T10:55:23Z")
After the first gulf war, someone put together a video mix off all the theme music and graphics introducing the war from various news channels. Seeing them all mixed together, going on and on with ceasing, was… well it was both hilarious and… kinda of scary. ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [March 1, 2003, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-had-any-doubts-about-cnn-before-showdown-iraq/158164/24 "2003-03-01T18:12:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Apos \* > \*\*After the first gulf war, someone put together a video mix off all the theme music and graphics introducing the war from various news channels. Seeing them all mixed together, going on and on with ceasing, was… well it was both hilarious and… kinda of scary. \*\* [Clip No. 2](http://www.moderntv.com/modtvweb/iraq91/iraq5.htm) here appears to have something like that. It’s a clip from a satrical film called _The Iraq Campaign 1991_ which looks hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2003, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-had-any-doubts-about-cnn-before-showdown-iraq/158164/25 "2003-03-02T00:07:28Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Legomancer \* > \*\*Isn’t there a “reality series” that is going to be based on the war? > It _is_ entertainment. Just not for the people actually participating in it. \*\* this is as good a time as any to link to one of my [favorite comics](http://www.ucomics.com/captainribman/2003/02/25/) ---
**Author:** ![Weirddave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/919ad9/32.png) [@Weirddave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weirddave)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2003, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-had-any-doubts-about-cnn-before-showdown-iraq/158164/26 "2003-03-02T00:22:18Z")
I wish y’all could just step outside yourselves for one moment and see how fucking _funny_ you sound! [Chicken Little] The sky is falling! [/Chicken Little] It’s freakin’ hilarious! ---
**Author:** ![KJ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b2d939/32.png) [@KJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KJ)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2003, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-had-any-doubts-about-cnn-before-showdown-iraq/158164/27 "2003-03-02T09:02:01Z")
I was watching the TV Guide channel the other day (don’t get me started on the TV Guide channel…the entire purpose of the channel is to sell breakfast cereals and incontinence products. I seriously think the ad agency’s entire philosophy and company policy is “Let’s see how far we can shove our ads up the viewers’ asses before they stop watching.”) Well, anyway, I was watching that channel, and I actually saw a caption inside one of the boxes that said “Showdown: Iraq.” So, not only is “Showdown: Iraq” the only phrase anybody uses to describe the pre-war halftime show, it’s gotten so marketable that they actually have time to dedicate a whole show to it and get TV Guide to acknowlege it as such. Man. I thought it couldn’t get any worse than that. I guess I was wrong. Iraqi news bundled with ESPN. Just what we need. My vote for most creative title goes to The Daily Show, with “Slowdown: Iraq.” The funny thing is, I’ve gotten so used to ignoring those flashy new intros that I didn’t even realize that it said “slowdown” instead of “showdown” until the 4th or 5th time I saw the little intro on The Daily Show. Ahh, desensitization. ---
**Author:** ![Jeff\_Lodoen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/b3f665/32.png) [@Jeff\_Lodoen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jeff_Lodoen)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2003, 10:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-had-any-doubts-about-cnn-before-showdown-iraq/158164/28 "2003-03-02T10:48:28Z")
At least this may just be mercenary, not stupid. I saw a new promo for Newsnight w/ Aaron Brown. They’ve got a new ‘feature’ called The Whip. From what I could tell it refers to getting reports from their correspondants all over the world… Wow! The operative phrase is “whip around the world.” I think there’s a joke that could be made. ---
**Author:** ![Tristan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tristan/32/18058_2.png) [@Tristan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tristan)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2003, 11:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-had-any-doubts-about-cnn-before-showdown-iraq/158164/29 "2003-03-02T11:09:28Z")
You are aware that the Journalists that are going to be reporting when/if the war starts could very well give away information, by accident, that could lead to the deaht of US servicemen and women or our allies? I have no problem whatsoever with a editing outgoing news. The “Right to Know” is a myth anyway. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2003, 11:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-had-any-doubts-about-cnn-before-showdown-iraq/158164/30 "2003-03-02T11:34:45Z")
Clearly there has to be military control of some information, for the reason **Tristan** stated. However, I feel that voluntary censorship would also be extremely handy if the war started going badly. Or indeed, if there were allied criminal activities and/or atrocities. Even Dan Rather complained about the restricted freedoms of the press during the Afghanistan campaign. I’m glad there are independent news organizations out there. ---
**Author:** ![PhiloVance](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e19adc/32.png) [@PhiloVance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PhiloVance)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2003, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-had-any-doubts-about-cnn-before-showdown-iraq/158164/31 "2003-03-02T15:11:24Z")
Y’know, if the news bothers you all that much, why watch? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![feath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/4bbf92/32.png) [@feath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/feath)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2003, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-had-any-doubts-about-cnn-before-showdown-iraq/158164/32 "2003-03-02T21:14:59Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Weirddave \* > \*\*I wish y’all could just step outside yourselves for one moment and see how fucking _funny_ you sound! > [Chicken Little] > The sky is falling! > [/Chicken Little] > It’s freakin’ hilarious! \*\* um, not sure what you mean. We are poking fun at TV and how it is responding to the Iraq war. ‘The sky is falling’ is another thread, I think you want ‘the US customs’ thread, where there is a great deal of squacking going on. I can see your condensinding post fitting in there, rather well. ---
**Author:** ![I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/8edcca/32.png) [@I\_can\_t\_believe\_that\_s\_butter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_can_t_believe_that_s_butter)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2003, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-had-any-doubts-about-cnn-before-showdown-iraq/158164/33 "2003-03-02T21:29:44Z")
Connie Chung is on CNN. ---
**Author:** ![you\_with\_the\_face](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecccb3/32.png) [@you\_with\_the\_face](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/you_with_the_face)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2003, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-had-any-doubts-about-cnn-before-showdown-iraq/158164/34 "2003-03-02T22:28:49Z")
Let me echo the chorus. A Clear Channel radio station in Atlanta refers to the war as the “Showdown with Saddam”. Makes me want to dump gasoline on my head and set myself ablaze everytime I hear it. Another petpeeve of mine: why is it seemingly common practice for the media to call Hussein by his first name all the time? They don’t call Tony Blair by his first name, nor Bush, nor anyone else. For them to treat Hussein differently strikes me as unprofessional and inappropriately informal. It is as if they are implicitly saying its okay to be on a first name basis with this man because he’s The Bad Guy. ---
**Author:** ![Mac\_Guffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2bfe46/32.png) [@Mac\_Guffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mac_Guffin)\ **Post date:** [March 2, 2003, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-had-any-doubts-about-cnn-before-showdown-iraq/158164/35 "2003-03-02T23:57:38Z")
Well, **Y.W.T.F** It might also have to do with the fact that there are a whole lot of Husseins running arabic countries. Narrows it down a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [March 3, 2003, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-had-any-doubts-about-cnn-before-showdown-iraq/158164/36 "2003-03-03T00:50:50Z")
Remember, CNN was pretty much created because of Gulf War I. This gives them a sense of how high the stakes are. Once the war starts, Americans will be tuned to the news continuously. The cable networks’ ratings will skyrocket. And the network that does the best job of covering the war is going to do very well in the ratings not just during the war, but it will become the ‘network of record’ for political topics afterwards, just as CNN did after the first Gulf war. Be thankful that we’ve got multiple sources competing to provide the best coverage. It’s called capitalism, and it works. If all we had was the broadcast networks, their coverage would no doubt be a lot more somber and ‘appropriate’, but it also wouldn’t be nearly as good. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-i-had-any-doubts-about-cnn-before-showdown-iraq/158164.md?page=1)