CNN Chief Claims Network Not Partisan
By Don | February 7, 2010
CNN plans to stake out the high ground in cable news.
From TVNewser
Marketwatch.com's Jon Friedman talks with Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes about his media empire -- from the future of the Time Inc. magazines to CNN's ratings woes and programming choices.
Bewkes insisted that CNN "has more viewers" who "watch for shorter periods of time" than its foes.
I pressed Bewkes on CNN's mission to present both sides of an issue. Yes, it's commendable for journalists to be open-minded, but -- again playing devil's advocate -- wouldn't CNN attract even more viewers if it amped up its broadcasts reports, like Fox and MSNBC often do?
"They're picking a side," Bewkes said of his rivals. "We have bigger ambitions than (leaning) left or right. We want to cover the news completely."
Plus, he suspects, "if we did too much partisan (broadcasting), we'd lose our high demographics." CNN believes it has a higher quality of viewers because it doesn't veer to the left or the right.
Bewkes feels strongly that CNN "is a very good business." He won't tinker with its format "if it means taking a partisan point of view -- one-third of the U.S. voters are independents. They don't want to see narrow-minded stuff."
CNN which lost the cable news crown years ago is still struggling to find a voice in an increasingly partisan and rancorous news bubble.
Bewkes is wrong to claim that being partisan would cost them their high demographics. Both Fox and MSNBC have shown that you can attract an audience when you have an actual opinion.
The time has long passed for cable news networks to try and present themselves as apolitical or non partisan. The viewers know that the media is biased either to the right or left depending on your view and they are more comfortable watching news when they know it is slanted in their direction.
Maybe CNN thinks Americans want news for the moderate middle but as their ratings have shown that group is a ratings wasteland. Plus if CNN thinks it can convince people that they are not leaning to one side or the other they are living in a fantasy world since they were the original left leaning network.
2 Comments | Post a Comment
If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, is it a canary?
HaHa. Come on CNN, you guys are as bias as they come, however you are more subtle at playing the game.
When you guys took off the only program that interested me and I am referring to Lou Dobbs. That was the last straw for me.
Then you were only interested in paying homage to The Liberal president by disregarding the cardinal rule of having both sides to rebut each other on important issues.
You changed your spots somewhat when the seat held by the Liberal champion went to a Republican candidate.
Now you are changing with the tide.
However many media houses are still not seeing the bigger picture. Will they come around?
This coming election will tell for whom the bell tolls
February 8 at 4:45 pm | #1 | Link
Why not show both views?
I guess that isn’t possible without different networks.
FOX comes the closest to being fair.