5 posts tagged “cnn”

Last night Larry King's guest was Dr. Jan Adam the surgeon that operated on celebrity hip-hop artist Kayne West's mother Donda West who later died from aggravated complications of a prexisiting existing heart condition after reciving cosmetic surgery. Donda West was advised by her primary care physician not to undergo the surgery and from reports after another surgeon denied Donda's plastic surgery request she turned to Dr. Jan Adam who did perform the ultimately fatal operation.

Adam's was to appear on King's program but according to CNN, Dr. Adam recived a message moments before going on the air from the West family threatening to take legal action against the Dr. Adam's medical license for breach of patient confidentiality. Seconds later this was the scene on CNN's Larry King Live.

Last week FCC chief Kevin Martin announced a plan that if accepted would break a long standing rule governing the number of television, radio, and newspaper operations one particular corporation could own within a market.  The original rules governing ownership has been in effect for over thirty years to keep company's from developing media monopoly's in various regions throughout the nation.  Martins proposal if enacted could lead to restricted liberty's in journalism where a smaller sector has the majority control over what is said in the media.  Large corporations will be able to purchase and operate television & radio stations including newspapers in all the nations top markets.  Imagine if all your local media outlets where headed by a single person regardless of network affiliations the buck stops with a single head-honcho or chief operating officer.  This person would control the flow of information to millions within a defined geographical area without any competition or an opposing voice. 

It's a scary prospect, especially for anyone working in broadcasting. The consolidation of ownership undoubtedly could lead to less jobs and a decrease in  competition between employers looking to hire talent; thus lower benefits and compensation across the board.  Journalist and columnists will find their voices stifled if their viewpoints oppose those of the organization and without another media outlet their reporting will go unheard.  There will never again be a second side to a story.  Only the filtered information the corporations allows you to know...

Take for instance the recent story CNN and Hillary Clinton found themselves in over the planting of audience members and pre-screened questions during the last democratic debate aired on CNN.  Maria Luisa, a college student at UNLV was a participate at the debate and was allowed to question the candidates she wrote on her MySpace page that the six audience members that posed questions to Hillary during the debates where "Democratic Party Operatives" and that CNN forced her to ask the frilly question "What do you prefer diamonds or pearls?" rather than her actual query about nuclear waste storage at the Yucca Mountain depository.

"Every single question asked during the debate by the audience had to be approved by CNN," Luisa writes. "I was asked to submit questions including "lighthearted/fun" questions. I submitted more than five questions on issues important to me. I did a policy memo on Yucca Mountain a year ago and was the finalist for the Truman Scholarship. For sure, I thought I would get to ask the Yucca question that was APPROVED by CNN days in advance."

It's shameful enough that during a open townhouse formatted preliminary presidential debate the audiences questions required any kind of screening but what makes it really bad is CNN was aware and deliberately sought to undermine its viewers by planting hashed questions to benefit a single candidate. In this case it appears CNN wanted to assist Clinton's odds of winning the debate.  So pause for a moment and imagine this level of deceitfulness in a corporation that owns every major media platform in your city.  Imagine what they might not want you to know and how they may resort to this level of trickery to persuade your opinion.

Scary isn't it?

I loath anticipating software releases, especially software I use on a daily bases.  Take my web browsing software for example, back in 2006 when Internet Explorer 7 beta was released I risked my priority PC to test the new browser because I couldn't stand waiting on the new features to arrive.  (But who could blame me IE7 arrived four years late!)  Now I'm stuck waiting on future releases for two beloved apps, although they're not for the PC. Rather, I'm sitting here anxiously waiting updates for my freaking telephone.  It's ridiculous how technology can get so intertwined into our daily routine that we flinch at the slightest hint of an upgrade hoping for new functionality and new improved features.  Okay, so what gives... What exactly am I waiting for?

Well, unless you've been living under a rock... or simply not keeping up with telecommunication software you should have heard of "Opera Mini".  The scaled down version of the much less popular desktop web browser, engineered to operated on smaller portable hand held devices.  Now, before "Mini" skyrocketed into fame the Opera company was steadily making progress on the ninth incarnation of Opera Mobile destined for Pocket PCs everywhere.  However, with the surge in popularly of its more tiny sibling plus the fact market share for users of smaller less expensive cellular devices out weight the number of more technologically savvy Pocket PC, Palm and yes Blackberry users (a few of you).  The company decided to reallocate resources towards furthering development of "Opera Mini" to face the incumbent.  The spooky Apple iPhone.  Leaving Windows Mobile users once again to twiddle their thumbs until word of development leaks or the project slowly fades into nihility...

 

Related Links:
Opera Mini - Hands down the best web browser for the standard cell phone.
Opera Mobile - Hopefully still in development, the beta isn't half bad if you have a Pocket PC or smart phone.
iPhone -  Made for people who 10% like technology and 90% suckers for marketing.

 

I'll end with this report from CNN International predating the release of the iPhone in the United States:

The heat index was 110 degrees when our crew was assigned to venture out to the historic Auburn Avenue in Downtown Atlanta to document the ribbon cutting commemoration of the SCLC new headquarters.

[The CEO of a prominent Georgian electric company] was on hand for the event thus, so we the (video / photography department) were there also.

Dispute lugging equipment around on one of the hottest days in the last seven years it was a pretty worthwhile in the end after former President Clinton made an appearance and yours truly had the opportunity for a up close encounter with the president.  Shaking hands and exchanging a few brief words before he was ushered off via a back door.

In this video clip I'm positioned on the media stand overlooking the front door of the new SCLC building where the ribbon cutting took place.  The tripod on the extreme left belonged to WAGA-Atlanta Fox 5, followed by my equipment,  with CNN positioned to my right followed by various other press outlets.