The case for covering kidnappings ad nauseum…

We like to complain about cable news pandering to missing person’s stories but tonight there’s a perfect example of why this happens. Tonight an 18 year old kidnapping case resurfaced when Jaycee Lee Dugard who was kidnapped at age 11 was found alive. It’s stories like this that gives hope to kidnap families all over. I have to admit it made me do some thinking on all the cases that we’ve seen on cable news where the kidnapped victim hasn’t been found. Yes, this is really the exceptioin and not the rule for missing person’s cases. But it makes me want to rethink my criticisms of what we had in the past considered pandering to a story…

Numbers Game…

TVNewser has leaked ratings numbers for the Kennedy coverage Tuesday night/Wednesday morning (depending on which coast you live on). I’ll leave it to you to guess who leaked it. Here’s what’s interesting; the numbers are highly restricted to a short time span 1:28-2am ET. I wonder why that is? The networks really didn’t get their acts going until after 2am. Indeed, FNC wasn’t even covering the story full time until well after 2am and CNN was a CNN International simulcast from CNNI’s studios. So when I see ratings for a time period that’s very restrictive like this one is, I get suspicious and start asking questions such as would a longer time, such as a 1:28-3:28 sample, yield different results? Probably not in finishing order but maybe in the amounts and gaps.

Kennedy Memorial: CNN Coverage Plans…

CNN announced its plans to cover the Kennedy Memorial…

CNN Plans Special Coverage of Sen. Ted Kennedy Memorial Events

Lead political anchor Wolf Blitzer, along with Campbell Brown, Anderson Cooper and John King, will lead Ted Kennedy Remembered, CNN’s special coverage of the events commemorating Sen. Ted Kennedy’s life and legacy. In addition to bringing viewers inside the memorial events, the programming will include memories and commentary from friends and family of Sen. Kennedy, as well as from members of the Best Political Team on Television.

On Friday, Aug. 28, starting at 7 p.m., Blitzer and Brown will anchor coverage of the Celebration of Life Memorial Service, taking place at the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum in Dorchester, Mass. Beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday, Aug. 29, Blitzer and Cooper will anchor programming of Sen. Kennedy’s funeral at The Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Boston. Chief national correspondent John King will be on the ground providing perspective and insight from both events. The coverage continues Saturday at 4 p.m., when Sen. Kennedy will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery, near the final resting spots of his brothers Robert Kennedy and President John F. Kennedy.

In addition to the special coverage, CNN’s regular programming will devote time to covering news related to the memorials of Sen. Kennedy. Today, CNN programs will air parts of the motorcade procession bringing Sen. Kennedy’s casket from Hyannis Port to the JFK Presidential Library & Museum, where he will lie in repose. The network also will provide coverage of the public wake tonight and Friday as crowds gather to say farewell to the senator. Viewers also can tune in to CNN throughout the day Saturday for updates as Sen. Kennedy’s casket makes its way from Boston to his final resting place overlooking Washington.

Kennedy Coverage: Your reactions…

Post your reactions to today’s coverage of the Kennedy procession and the coverage thereof here…

Free for All: 08/27/09

What’s on your mind?

Rating Afghanistan Reporters?

Stars and Stripes Charlie Reed, Kevin Baron and Leo Shane III have a story about the Pentagon rating reporters that cover Afghanistan…

The new revelations of the Pentagon’s attempts to shape war coverage come as senior Defense Department officials are acknowledging increasing concern over recent opinion polls showing declining popular American support for the Afghan war.

“The purpose of this memo is to provide an assessment of [a reporter from a major U.S. newspaper] … in order to gauge the expected sentiment of his work while on an embed mission in Afghanistan,” reads the preamble to one of the reporter profiles prepared for the Pentagon by The Rendon Group, a controversial Washington-based public relations firm.

Stars and Stripes reported on Monday that the Pentagon was screening reporters embedding with U.S. forces to determine whether their past coverage had portrayed the military in a positive light. The story included denials by U.S. military officials that they were using the reporters’ profiles to determine whether to approve embed requests.

MSNBC taped multiple endings to its Kennedy Brothers Doc?

From a very eagle eyed emailer.

I just watched the Hardball Doc. on the Kennedy brothers – which was very good.

I noticed something strange at the end.

Chris was on the DC MSNBC set ending the doc – with a line about how “The four Kennedy brothers died in the service of our country.” He then went on to note that Ted Kennedy died while fighting for healthcare.

So what… right?

Chris was on the DC set for this taped outro.

Chris was in New York today – and has been there all week.

Not a surprise that they would have the show ready in the eventuality of his death… but still somewhat strange that Chris had to tape a set piece referring to the senator in the past tense… even though when it was taped – he was still alive.