Reader mail: What does CNN Airport Network show when there’s bad air travel news?
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Reader THC writes:
I’ve been in airports a lot lately, with CNN Airport playing on TVs everywhere. But I didn’t know about the plane crash in Brazil until I got home. Does CNN Airport filter air crash news?
Yep. Apparently the directors behind CNN Airport Network do indeed censor the news to keep “disturbing” images off the terminal TVs.
The exception was 9/11, when the network reported the events of the day. But otherwise, CNN has broadcasted other news, or even video of singing cowboys.
One writer went so far as to solicit the official CNN policy:
“Oh, yes, Airport Network programming is sensitive to travelers,” the cheerful Ms. Hammann told me when I asked if in fact they do cut out disturbing airline-related news. She sounded just like one of the on-air honey blondes, warm and overwhelmingly reassuring.
“So, we don’t show sensitive materials like that,” she continued. “We use our discretion. If it is something that is specific to the airline industry, something that is particularly upsetting or disturbing to travelers, then it’s not shown. That’s always been our policy, and we make that known to the airports and the airlines and they’re fully in agreement with that policy.”
There you have it. Frankly, I wouldn’t shed any tears if the CNN monitors were removed from airports. My eyes inevitably drift up to watch, no matter how much I’d rather not look.
But is the failure to report disturbing news of air disasters an act of sensitivity, or censorship? I’m on the fence. I’m not sure I’d want to hear about a crash just as I’m about to get on a plane, and I’m pretty hardy in the face of such news. But if the televisions are broadcasting news, shouldn’t it be the real news of the day, and not just singing cowboys?
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October 4th, 2006 at 9:24 am |
I was in RDU on 911 and once the “airport news” was forced to switch to live coverage, airport employees ran around and turned off all the monitors.
I hate CNN, not just becuase they’re reliably liberal/left on every issue, and not just because Eason lied to us about Iraq for a decade.
I hate them because they care inescapable at the darn airport.
October 4th, 2006 at 1:59 pm |
I was in Newark airport recently when the headline newsflash is ‘dynamite found in student carry-on luggage at Newark airport’. Coverage seemed to continue unabated.
October 4th, 2006 at 6:30 pm |
Speaking of “censorship” of airline-related matters, I saw the movie “Inside Man” on 2 USAirways flights. I had not seen it prior. Then, when watching it on a DVD at home, it became apparent that there were pieces of dialogue cut out including “Oh shit, he’s an Arab” and a line about airport security.
October 4th, 2006 at 8:30 pm |
At YVR on August 27th they showed the plane crash in Kentuky
October 5th, 2006 at 10:05 am |
I was in the airport shortly after the Southwest jet skidded off the runway in Chicago a while back. Every time the CNN anchors would do a “what’s coming up” bit and list off a few stories, when the got to the part about the Southwest jet, the screen would go to a big red CNN Airport News logo and the sound would go off. It would come back a moment later and they’d be on the next item.