Outside Cable News

Via UPI
Pentagon ends retiree analyst briefings

WASHINGTON, April 25 (UPI) — The Pentagon has dropped its practice of having the defense secretary brief retired military officers who work as TV news analysts, officials said Friday.

Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs Robert Hastings said he suspended the briefings this week after The New York Times published a story on ties between the Pentagon and the retirees-turned-analysts, CNN reported Friday.

The Times reported Sunday that many such analysts — who began appearing on TV during the run-up to the Iraq war — were fed information by the Pentagon, which used the military experts in a campaign to generate favorable coverage of the Bush administration’s wartime performance.

The Times story said some military analysts had business dealings with the Pentagon, contacts that viewers — and even the networks employing the analysts — were rarely informed of.

Rep. Paul Hodes, D-N.H., Thursday called on Rep. John Tierney, D-Mass. — chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs — to look into the matter.

Hodes said it was unacceptable for the administration to try to “manipulate the public with false propaganda on matters of war and our national security.”

Via G4TV
Sessler On Geraldo!
By Jonathan Hunt

X-Play’s very own Adam Sessler will be appearing on FOX News’ Geraldo Rivera this Sunday, talking about the upcoming Grand Theft Auto IV as well as X-Play’s Summer Games Preview.

No doubt you all remember the controversy that began when FOX News incorrectly and irresponsibly reported on the sexual situations depicted in the game Mass Effect and how Adam reacted somewhat adversely.

Well, now it’s time for FOX News to meet The Sess face to face. He’ll be appearing on Gerlado Rivera at 8:30PM ET/5:30PM PT.

In case you don’t remember the controversy, here are some videos to jog your memory.

Via TPM
Keith Olbermann Apologizes For Crack About Hillary
By Greg Sargent

As I’ve noted here before, MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann has a bizarre tendency to listen to the substance of criticism against him. Even more strange, considering that he’s a top-shelf media star, is the fact that he apologizes for his conduct when he’s wrong.

Today Olbermann apologized in response to criticism of a crack he made the other night about Hillary.

The barb in question came in a discussion with a guest about the fact that the super-delegates were going to have to resolve the Dem primary. Olbermann said: “Right. Somebody who can take her into a room and only he comes out.”

This line drew some very sharp criticism from The Huffington Post’s Rachel Sklar, who noted acidly that Olberman could “only mean one thing: Beating the crap out of Hillary Clinton, to the point where she is physically incapable of of getting up and walking out.”
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Via TVNewser/Times-Picayune
Live from Xavier: Fox News’ ‘Studio B with Shepard Smith’
By Dave Walker

John McCain’s Straight Talk Express bus was parked downstairs.

Fox News Channel’s “Studio B” in New York - from which Shepard Smith anchors a 2 p.m. hour each weekday - had been temporarily transported to a second-floor deck of Xavier University’s University Center building.

>Read the rest at Times-Picayune.

Via Turner Pressroom
CNN Digital Network Continues to Break Records with Top Ratings for March

CNN.com Sets New High Bar for Online Video, Mobile Usage

The CNN Digital Network posted yet another record-breaking month in March as it ranked No. 1 in total minutes among all News and Information properties for the 11th month in a row, ranking ahead of Internet stalwarts Wikipedia, Yahoo! News, MSNBC Digital Network and Weather Channel. CNN.com last month also set new records for the network in regards to online video streams served and mobile news usage.

According to Nielsen Online, CNN Digital Network generated 1.4 billion gross usage minutes in March, a 46 percent increase over last year, and maintained the network’s highest monthly audience in its 13-year history with 37.2 million unique visitors.

During the month, CNN.com served more than 116 million video streams, including nearly 4 million live streams served from CNN.com Live, the network’s live, multi-stream video service. The total monthly video streams served is a new record for CNN.com, besting the 110 million served the previous month. (Source: Omniture SiteCatalyst, U.S. and International editions combined).

CNN Mobile also set a new record for mobile Internet news sites with 4.5 million unique users in February 2008 (Source: Nielsen Online). It ranks No. 1 among all mobile Internet news providers maintaining its top ranking for 17 months in a row.
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Via This is Nottingham
Presenter Richard Quest in rehab

CNN’s British presenter Richard Quest has gone into rehab following his arrest in Central Park, the broadcaster has said.

Richard, 46, was arrested in New York at 3.42am last Friday for criminal possession of a controlled substance, believed to be methamphetamine, and for being in Central Park after closing time.

Methamphetamine, also known as crystal meth, can bring on a feeling of exhilaration and produces increased arousal and activity levels.

Flamboyant and enthusiastic presenter Richard is one of CNN’s most well-known faces.

He began his career as a BBC news trainee in 1985 and spent 16 years at the Corporation, including working on BBC News 24.
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Via Courant
DeLauro Asks TV News Companies to Curb Propaganda Problem
By Jesse A. Hamilton

Rep. Rosa DeLauro has just sent a series of letters to the major network and cable television news operations. The Connecticut congresswoman has requested that they reveal (and repair) their policies on conflict of interest and transparency, trying to get to the bottom of a Bush administration effort to flood the shows with pro-administration arguments on the war and other issues from people who stood to gain from spouting their “opinions” as news guests and analysts.

About potential defense contractors held up as news analysts, she wrote:

“These analysts were granted special access to the senior civilian and military leaders directly involved in determining how war funding should be spent, giving the companies they represent a clear competitive advantage. These analysts likely felt further pressure to serve as the mouthpiece for the administration in order to gain military contracts for the companies they represent.”

A recent New York Times investigation demonstrated the news shows didn’t make these people’s business relationships clear when putting them on the air as experts, and that story is what has prompted DeLauro’s letter-writting campaign. She wrote five letters, one each to the heads of NBC, ABC, CBS, Fox and CNN news departments.

“In the article, network officials claimed they were sensitive to potential conflicts of interest, but did not hold their analysts to the same ethical standards as their news employees with regard to disclosing outside financial interests. If this was indeed the case, I would urge you to explain why and provide the justification regarding the lax policy. It seems to me that the credibility of your news organization is at stake.”
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