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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