Watching CNN
UPDATE: Hey, everyone. Thank you so much for taking this post to heart. You can stop calling Orkin now, though, because Orkin has been helpful, honest and responsive regarding this show. Here’s their representative’s latest missive:
Just want to circle back to give the final update from Orkin. We had purchased advertising that was supposed to air on “Larry King Live” on August 21. CNN changed programming to air “God’s Jewish Warriors” without notifying us ahead of time to obtain our approval – which is against our agreement with the network. We have discussed this with CNN, and they are aware of the severity of their mistake. I am told that “God’s Jewish Warriors” was a three-part special which has concluded; however, Orkin has added it to our “do not buy” list, should it re-air in the future. We sincerely thank you for bringing this issue to our attention – we can’t fix a problem if we’re not aware of it.
Also, please read fellow blogger DQ’s post suggesting that those of us with sensitive antennae may have reacted more strongly to Amanpour’s journalism than the average American would. As I told DQ, I still have a problem with the fundamental principle of the show, that they’re all warriors, because warriors engage in War. And the fact is that, right now, with the exception of a few nut jobs, the Christian and Jewish fundamentalists, although having beliefs more extreme than most of us, aren’t killing anyone. This distinguishes them from the Muslim fundamentalists who are at the heart of just about every mass killing worldwide.
Additionally, I’m not sure how many readers are sophisticated enough to catch Amanpour’s “nudge, nudge, wink, wink” attitude about the Muslim Brotherhood, if DQ is correct that she sounded sarcastic when she introduced them as some type peaceful political organization.
Still, as I’ve admitted all along, I haven’t watched the shows, not because I was specifically boycotting the shows, but because I gave up on CNN and Amanpour more than a decade ago, dismayed by their attitude (anti-American, condescending, anti-Israel), and put off by the constant, banal, breathless, thoughtless chatter that characterizes so much of CNN’s 24 hour coverage.
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My sister, bless her heart, finds politics too upsetting and avoids TV news like the plague. However, she still picks up on things, through some newspapers, the internet, emails and friends. She told me today that, of all the news she doesn’t watch, she hates CNN the most. Her problem with CNN, because she’s a logical thinker, is the disconnect between what it shows and what it says. “How,” she asked, “can it keep touting Muslims as peaceful when all the concerted violence in the world (as opposed to the occasional individual nut job) comes from Islamists?” What a good question. The most recent disconnect, as I’m sure you all know, is Christiane Amanpour’s/CNN’s hatchet job on fundamentalist Christians and Jews, while assuring us that the Muslim Brotherhood is a peaceful democratic organization. There’s that famous CNN disconnect my sister was talking about. Still the show got huge ratings, which is very worrisome.
I didn’t watch it. For the same reasons that turned my sister off CNN, I too became disgusted with it years ago and never, never, never watch it. I can’t stand Amanpour, who may be an Iranian Christian, but has always struck me as a pure European secularist — hating America and what it stands for. But I’m getting off course with my rant.
What I wanted to say is that the absolute best reporting I’ve seen about the series comes from Robert Avrech at Seraphic Secret. Here are Parts I, II and III. Read, and you’ll appreciate what truly good writing is.
Incidentally, if the CNN series didn’t merely anger you, but made you angry enough to act, here’s CAMERA with information about just how bad the show was when it came to Jews and Muslims. For reasons that elude me, I can’t find the CAMERA webpage with action items, but I got an email spelling them out. Here’s action information that came to be in an email from the erudite Richard Baehr:
ACTION ITEMS:
CALL CNN and leave a comment: 404-827-1500
Submit a comment on CNN’s “report an error” form:
http://www.cnn.com/feedback/forms/form6a.html?2
WRITE TO A SPONSOR whose ad ran during the “God’s Jewish Warriors” program on August 21. Tell the company that you are disappointed that their product or service was associated with “God’s Jewish Warriors,” a program that bashed Israel and unfairly smeared pro-Israel American Christians and Jews as disloyal Americans. Express concern that they tarnished their reputation for integrity by sponsoring such a show and encourage them to redirect their advertising dollars to more journalistically professional networks. Urge them to speak to CNN about the program’s lack of standards.
Remember, be polite! They likely didn’t choose which exact show their ad would appear in, but they can certainly chastise CNN for putting their ad in a shoddy show that angered their customers!
Partial List of SPONSORS:
Intel
Submit a comment on their Corporate Responsibility “Contact Us” form:
http://www.intel.com/intel/finance/social/contact_us.htm
Or call (408) 765-8080 and ask to speak to CEO Paul Otellini
Raymond James Financial Services
Submit a comment on their website:
http://www.raymondjames.com/contact_general.htm
Or call and ask for Chairman Tom James or President/COO Chet Helck:
727-567-1000 or 800-248-8863
Orkin
(Orkin Pest Control is a wholly owned subsidiary of Rollins, Inc.)
Gary W. Rollins, CEO, President and COO
Rollins, Inc., 2170 Piedmont Rd., NE, Atlanta, GA 30324
tel: 404-888-2000 Ask to speak to Gary Rollins
(If unable to speak to, or leave a message for, Gary Rollins, you can leave a message on their “Business Abuse Hotline,” since their advertising department harmed Orkin’s reputation by allowing its ad to run on “God’s Jewish Warriors.”) Business Abuse Hotline: 1-800-241-5689
I don’t have an email for Rollins, but you may get his attention by writing to:
Brinks Home Security
Call Michael Dan, CEO for Brinks Company
Telephone: 804.289.9600
Email: [email protected]
Circuit City
Call CEO Philip Schoonover: 804-527-4000
Other sponsors included:
Direct TV
Nasonex
Verizon Wireless
Volvo
Hughes
HSBC direct.com
Sempro
Wachovia
Anheuser-Busch
Centrum Silver
Let CAMERA know if you made a call or sent a comment: [email protected]
