Freakspeakers

Times UK - Proving the use of White Phosphorus

2009-01-09T21:32:00.005-05:00

While Anderson Cooper is very busy enjoying the buzz and coverage of his Puppy Debate, the Times-UK finally exposed the IDF and its use of White Phosphorus

It's sooo easy to cover govermental gathered schells without asking the same government about this kind of weapons - which happen to be ILLEGAL to use agaisnt civilians -. If they could now find the cluster bombs with depleted uranium.

From The Times
January 8, 2009
Gaza victims' burns increase concern over phosphorus

The pale blue 155mm rounds are clearly marked with the designation M825A1, an American-made white phosphorus munition

Michael Evans, Defence Editor and Sheera Frenkel in Jerusalem

Photographic evidence has emerged that proves that Israel has been using controversial white phosphorus shells during its offensive in Gaza, despite official denials by the Israel Defence Forces.
There is also evidence that the rounds have injured Palestinian civilians, causing severe burns. The use of white phosphorus against civilians is prohibited under international law.
The Times has identified stockpiles of white phosphorus (WP) shells from high-resolution images taken of Israel Defence Forces (IDF) artillery units on the Israeli-Gaza border this week. The pale blue 155mm rounds are clearly marked with the designation M825A1, an American-made WP munition. The shell is an improved version with a more limited dispersion of the phosphorus, which ignites on contact with oxygen, and is being used by the Israeli gunners to create a smoke screen on the ground.
The rounds, which explode into a shower of burning white streaks, were first identified by The Times at the weekend when they were fired over Gaza at the start of Israel's ground offensive. Artillery experts said that the Israeli troops would be in trouble if they were banned from using WP because it is the simplest way of creating smoke to protect them from enemy fire.
There were indications last night that Palestinian civilians have been injured by the bombs, which burn intensely. Hassan Khalass, a doctor at al-Shifa hospital in Gaza City, told The Times that he had been dealing with patients who he suspected had been burnt by white phosphorus. Muhammad Azayzeh, 28, an emergency medical technician in the city, said: “The burns are very unusual. They don't look like burns we have normally seen. They are third-level burns that we can't seem to control.”
Victims with embedded WP particles in their flesh have to have the affected areas flushed with water. Particles that cannot be removed with tweezers are covered with a saline-soaked dressing.
Nafez Abu Shaban, the head of the burns unit at al-Shifa hospital, said: “I am not familiar with phosphorus but many of the patients wounded in the past weeks have strange burns. They are very deep and not like burns we used to see.”
When The Times reported on Monday that the Israeli troops appeared to be firing WP shells to create a thick smoke camouflage for units advancing into Gaza, an IDF spokesman denied the use of phosphorus and said that Israel was using only the weapons that were allowed under international law.
Rows of the pale blue M825A1 WP shells were photographed on January 4 on the Israeli side of the Israel-Gaza border. Another picture showed the same munitions stacked up behind an Israeli self-propelled howitzer.
Confronted with the latest evidence, an IDF spokeswoman insisted that the M825A1 shell was not a WP type. “This is what we call a quiet shell - it is empty, it has no explosives and no white phosphorus. There is nothing inside it,” she said.
“We shoot it to mark the target before we launch a real shell. We launch two or three of the quiet shells which are empty so that the real shells will be accurate. It's not for killing people,” she said.
Asked what shell was being used to create the smokescreen effect seen so clearly on television images, she said: “We're using what other armies use and we're not using any weapons that are banned under international law.”
Neil Gibson, technical adviser to Jane's Missiles and Rockets, insisted that the M825A1 was a WP round. “The M825A1 is an improved model. The WP does not fill the shell but is impregnated into 116 felt wedges which, once dispersed [by a high-explosive charge], start to burn within four to five seconds. They then burn for five to ten minutes. The smoke screen produced is extremely effective,” he said.
The shell is not defined as an incendiary weapon by the Third Protocol to the Convention on Conventional Weapons because its principal use is to produce smoke to protect troops. However, Marc Galasco, of Human Rights Watch, said: “Recognising the significant incidental incendiary effect that white phosphorus creates, there is great concern that Israel is failing to take all feasible steps to avoid civilian loss of life and property by using WP in densely populated urban areas. This concern is amplified given the technique evidenced in media photographs of air-bursting WP projectiles at relatively low levels, seemingly to maximise its incendiary effect.”
He added, however, that Human Rights Watch had no evidence that Israel was using incendiaries as weapons.
British and American artillery units have stocks of white phosphorus munitions but they are banned as anti-personnel weapons. “These munitions are not unlawful as their purpose is to provide obscuration and not cause injury by burning,” a Ministry of Defence source said.
Mads Gilbert, a Norwegian war surgery specialist working in Gaza, told The Times that he had seen injuries believed to have resulted from Israel's use of a new “dense inert metal explosive” that caused “extreme explosions”. He said: “Those inside the perimeter of this weapon's power zone will be torn completely apart. We have seen numerous amputations that we suspect have been caused by this.”

Copyright 2008 Times Newspapers Ltd.

Debunking the Spin: not an easy thing to do for Anderson Cooper and CNN

2009-01-07T13:48:00.004-05:00

It´s a fact: Israel won´t allow jounalists into Gaza.

What CNN and Anderson Cooper says in his own blog:

¨The problem is that in not allowing international journalists into Gaza, Israel is guaranteeing that the only pictures from the Palestinian side are the ones Hamas wants the world to see. Press control by Hamas is heavy-handed. Hamas controls who reports from there and where they can go. While pictures of wounded children being brought to hospital are clearly encouraged, we rarely see images of Hamas fighters, or their rockets being fired into Israel.¨

Playing along or being the spin doctor? That is such a desconstructed and cheap way of diminishing the work of other journalists. I always thought that THE New York Times, Associated Press, Reuters, and AFP were serious media outlets. Many journalists know those are the places to be in order to gain respectability - not celebrity - as a journalist. Contrary to CNN they have bureaus within GAZA, sent or contracted journalists in the West Bank. People who have to live the hard task - just like the CNN people in Iraq - of living in a war zone. Far from the commodities of a 5 star hotel near the IDF headquarters where the press releases and summited videos are hand delivered.

Another thing that Cooper descunstruct is the FACT that wire services publish a lot of content, and the photo editors and desk editors purchase the images and stories THEY want to publish according to their editorial line. To say: ¨we rarely see images of Hamas fighters, or their rockets being fired into Israel ", well.. google and yahoo news are your friends. Blame the media outlets not the news services that are working their bids.

From AP Masked Palestinian militants from Islamic Jihad run with homemade rockets to put in place before later firing them into Israel on the outskirts of Gaza City, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2008. (AP Photo/Ashraf Amra)

Masked Palestinian militants from Islamic Jihad place homemade rockets before later firing them into Israel on the outskirts of Gaza City, Saturday, Dec. 20, 2008. (AP Photo/Ashraf Amra)

Why is Anderson Cooper and CNN even suggesting that NYT´s TAGHREED EL-KHODARY or others are mouth pieces for Hamas? I know its a competitive business, and it must suck for them to have a reporter from a newspaper or wire service giving first hand accounts. Witnessing the destruction, but targeting your peers and doubting their accounts calling all the media controlled mouth pieces? Or is just because they are not westerners? Islamofobia?

What is the difference? CNN is giving plenty of air time to the Israeli govenment and only presenting what the Israelis what them to present. Who is doing the spin? Who is the mouthpiece? Even his reports about the damage from the Hamas rockets can´t compare to the ones done by CLUSTER BOMBS and WHITE,PHOSPORUS. Why CNN US won´t even mention the fact - denounced by the UN as reported by the BBC- that the IDF is known for using illegal weapons? Don´t talk about the consequenses of their use and the danger they become after the battle engagement ends?

Anderson Cooper´s report , Lethal Rockets, is almost a copycat of the one he did during the Lebanon-Israel conflict. Anderson Cooper and team showing their range...

Then he stated: “We'd come to get a look at the damage and had hoped to talk with a Hezbollah representative. Instead, we found ourselves with other foreign reporters taken on a guided tour by Hezbollah. Young men on motor scooters followed our every movement. They only allowed us to videotape certain streets, certain buildings. Once, when they thought we'd videotaped them, they asked us to erase the tape. These men are called al-Shabab, Hezbollah volunteers who are the organization's eyes and ears.”

Doesn´t that have an eerie similarity of what Israel is allowing how and what to report today? When we see reporters in Israel running like sheeps towards the site where a rocket has landed? Why haven´t they interviewed moderate Israelis that are strongly opposing the conflict WITHIN Israel. CNN´s silence for access? Islamofobia?

Anderson, just grant me a wish... can you please do a story - think about equal time - about the cluster bombs? ehh I know... nevermind.

Today AP distributed this report. Worth Reading.

AP Gaza reporter finds hometown in rubble

By IBRAHIM BARZAK, Associated Press Writer Ibrahim Barzak, Associated Press Writer

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – I live alone in my office. My wife and two young children moved in with her father after our apartment was shattered. The neighborhood mosque, where I have prayed since I was a child, had its roof blown off. All the government buildings on my beat have been obliterated.
After days of Israeli shelling, the city and life I have known no longer exist.
Gaza City, with some 400,000 people, stopped supplying water when the fuel ran out for the power station driving the pumps. We listen to battery-run radios for news, even though the outside world watches what's happening to us on television. Grocery stores are closed and food is scarce.
Hospital officials say more than 600 Palestinians have been killed in Israel's military operation to crush Hamas, the radical Islamic movement that rules Gaza. Many are civilians.
Three days after Israel began its airstrikes on Gaza on Dec. 27, my apartment building was shaken by bombs aimed at a nearby Hamas-run government compound.
My brother took a picture of the room where my boys, 2-year-old Hikmet and 6-month-old Ahmed, once slept. Their toys were broken, shrapnel had punched through the closet and the bedroom wall had collapsed. I don't know if we will ever go back.
The Israeli army issued a video of the bombing of the Hamas compound, which it posted on YouTube. I can see my home being destroyed, and I watch it obsessively.
On Tuesday, I stood outside my apartment building but didn't dare to enter. I was worried the remains of the nearby Hamas compound might again be shelled without warning.
Driving back to central Gaza City, I took the road where Gaza's two main universities are. It was covered with shards of glass, telephone cables, electricity wires and flattened cars. This road was once crowded with students, taxis and street vendors. It was always noisy and jammed.
The only shop I found open was a pharmacy run by my friend Eyad Sayegh. He's an Orthodox Christian, and I stopped to wish him a Merry Christmas — Eastern churches celebrate Christmas on Jan. 7.
Eyad told me he forgot it was Christmas.
All the landmark buildings I covered as a reporter have vanished.
The colonial-era Seraya was the main security compound for the succession of Gaza's rulers — the British, Egyptians, Israelis, the Palestinian Authority and then the rival Palestinians of Hamas.
We used to fear the Seraya, where the central jail was. Now it's rubble.
Of the presidential office overlooking the sea only a few walls remain. For many Gazans it was a symbol of our statehood, even though President Mahmoud Abbas, who also heads the Fatah movement, hasn't been there since Hamas seized control of the territory in June 2007.
Someone planted a Palestinian flag on the building's remains. The huge gate at the western entrance still stands, giving an illusion of something big behind it.
And across the city, the Parliament house is half destroyed.
On Jala Street, one of Gaza's main roads, I saw about 30 boys around a leaky irrigation tap on a traffic island. They were clutching empty soft drink bottles and jerry cans, trying to fill them with water.
Samir, who is 9, told me his family has no water at home and he wanted to bring enough for a bath because he and his brother smell.
So do most people in Gaza right now.
In my father-in-law's building, residents throw out bags of spoiled food. With no power, refrigerators don't run and fresh food quickly rots.
Shortages are getting worse, leading to unusual gender equality in the bread lines. I saw about 150 men and women gathered to buy bread — but standing in separate lines. The men complained the women, normally so deferential to men, kept pushing, so now they have two lines.
There are few cars on the roads, and most of those are media cars, ambulances and vehicles packed with civilians. Some look like they are fleeing, with mattresses tied to the roofs, but who knows where they can go.
Israeli helicopters fly overhead. I hear blasts in the distance. The roads have been ripped apart by explosives.
I drive into downtown Gaza, trying to prove to myself I can still do something I have done so often before — drive through my city.
I reach the Catholic school I attended, where my late father used to bring me every day. The building is undamaged. I stand in front of it, wondering if I will ever walk my children to this school.

PEACE!

Breaking the Silence on Gaza and Anderson Cooper

2009-01-05T22:56:00.008-05:00

I´m torn with the idea of Anderson Cooper covering the conflict. Penhaul and the CNN international crew has done such an extraordinary job. Reporting with no BS, nor official spins.
I can already make the rundown of his coverage.

1. Anderson is going to be as partial and bias as with the Lebannon war becoming the mouth piece of the Israeli Government.

2. Anderson will focus and focus and focus about the Hamas Rockets and will Ignore, Ignore and IGNORE the Cluster Bombs with uranium and the White Phosphorus gas that is being used by the IDF - which by the way are illegal -.

Caption: It landed right here

Anderson Cooper examines the damage in an Israeli marketplace where a rocket launched by Hamas landed.

How he compare that with THESE?

3. Will Anderson Cooper call the thousands of harmed and hundreds of death - particularly children - part of the Hamas proganda staging?

4. Will he even bother interview one of his supposed favorite charities Doctors Without Borders about how they can't reach Gaza?

5. Sure there will be a 3 minute "Reporters Notebook" of how innocent animals - like dogs and cats - are being used as shields by Hamas ( I'm being way cynical here!! but actually a Boston newspaper just did it! ) or how humane Israel is towards the wounded pets injured by Hamas rockets ... it made me sick!

Over a year ago The Jerusalem Post published a letter from Mordechai Eliyahu to Olmet -in which he states: "If they don't stop after we kill 100, then we must kill a thousand," "And if they do not stop after 1,000 then we must kill 10,000. If they still don't stop we must kill 100,000, even a million. Whatever it takes to make them stop."

The core of the issue was presented by the israeli general Moshe Dayan: "The declaration of the State of Israel in 1948 was at the expense of ethnically cleansing 513 Palestinian villages, creating over 700,000 Palestinian refugees and expropriating their lands, homes and businesses in 78% of Palestine … There is not one single place built in this country that did not have a former (Palestinian) population."

I doubt that Anderson Cooper might present the crisis in a balanced context. I doubt that he won't even be capable of not inserting himself in the story, making it as always, all about him and the photo ops. In this time of economic crisis and massive lay offs - including CNN -, he should have stayed in NY and just read the teleprompter and save the travel expenses. There are better and more capable reporters from CNN already in the area.

This is a time of No spin, No bias, No bull.

New Interview

2008-04-13T22:19:00.010-04:00

Click to enlarge

Just curious, what section did you first think you'd find this magazine in?

more R&K

2008-04-07T20:49:00.006-04:00

Those of you who can't watch morning shows on weekdays, I hope you enjoy watching Anderson co-hosting Regis and Kelly last week. I join others in wishing Anderson complete and fast recovery.

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Be strong Cooper!

2008-03-19T21:52:00.002-04:00

I know we have neglected the blog for several months, but we decided to break our sebatical in order to wish Anderson Cooper the best recovery ever. Cancer is no joke. And with cancer outburst running in his family is something even more serious. Thank God he must have access to top medical care, a luxury many cancer patients don't have and can only hope and dream to afford.

Be this a reminder that cancer does not discriminate. It is still an epidemic that is no longer a priority for many. Remember to do your anual check ups, colaborate or donate to cancer treatment centers. Do your share. Be safe, be healthy, be strong.

What's cooking, Anderson?

2008-02-02T20:38:00.000-05:00

To the joy of political junkies like me, CNN plans two more debates at the end of February if nominees will not be determined by then. No word so far if Anderson will host one of them. Can't say I enjoyed Anderson's moderating of this week's debate, but I enjoyed him co-hosting Regis and Kelly yesterday. Interesting that ABC's leading news anchor Charlie Gibson was Kelly's guest just a day before. If you missed Anderson's appearance, watch it right here!

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Happy New Year!

2008-01-06T14:40:00.001-05:00

We are a week into 2008, which promises to be a fascinating year in American politics. Happy New Year to everybody, and let's hope that this year will bring less tragic events then 2007 or none at all. Whoever missed CNN NYE celebrations hosted by Anderson Cooper and Kathy Griffin, watch the recap right here!

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Anderson on Regis and Kelly

2007-10-23T13:03:00.001-04:00

Anderson Cooper was a guest on "Live with Regis and Kelly". Jimmy Kimmel is co-hosting this whole week, so it was interesting to see Anderson as a guest. Enjoy!

Focus on Africa

2007-10-21T22:54:00.000-04:00

Anderson Cooper had a new report from Niger on 60 minutes, he went there to see how things have changed after his Emmy-winning report in 2005. It's great to see that 60 minutes allows him to report on issues that matter and that he has passion for, not limiting him to celebrity interviews. Anybody who missed it --watch it here!

UPDATE: Anderson is going to Congo next weekend on assignment for 60 Minutes

More promo

2007-10-18T23:51:00.000-04:00

For our international audience, enjoy!

AC interviews our favourite character

2007-10-18T00:28:00.000-04:00

It's good to watch children's shows once in a while. Enjoy!

And Now it is official, COLBERT FOR PRESIDENT!!!!

2007-10-16T23:50:00.001-04:00

Now, THIS IS INTERESTING!!!!

Get ready for the write in campaign, REGISTER TO VOTE, and get this man in the White House!!!!

sign the petition and show your support
here

or visit The Colbert Nation.

Anderson could be his press secretary...

Should we be excited?

2007-10-16T11:32:00.000-04:00

Anybody who couldn't see yesterday's appearance, watch it here!
I didn't notice much enthusiasm in promoting a new documentary, did you?

As usual, what you were looking for

2007-10-09T11:47:00.000-04:00

For our international audience and all those who missed it

Even more pictures from the screening of PIP

2007-10-08T23:40:00.000-04:00

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I know things are a bit slow around here, but don't miss Anderson Cooper at the View...

Anderson Cooper At a Screening of PIP

2007-10-08T22:36:00.000-04:00

Actor Charles Grodin, left, and Anderson Cooper attend a screening of the environmental documentary 'Planet in Peril,' Monday, Oct. 8, 2007, in New York. The documentary, about threats to the world's environment, is hosted by CNN anchor Cooper, chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Animal Planet host Jeff Corwin. (AP Photo/Diane Bondareff)
Anderson Cooper attends a screening of the environmental documentary 'Planet in Peril,' Monday, Oct. 8, 2007, in New York. The documentary, about threats to the world's environment, is hosted by CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Animal Planet host Jeff Corwin. (AP Photo/Diane Bondareff)

Jerry Seinfeld, left, and his wife Jessica pose with Anderson Cooper at the screening of the environmental documentary 'Planet in Peril,' Monday, Oct. 8, 2007, in New York. The documentary, about threats to the world's environment, is hosted by CNN anchor Anderson Cooper, chief medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Animal Planet host Jeff Corwin. (AP Photo/Diane Bondareff)

Dr. Sanjay Gupta, right, and Anderson Cooper attend a screening of the environmental documentary 'Planet in Peril,' Monday, Oct. 8, 2007, in New York. The documentary, about threats to the world's environment, is hosted by CNN anchor Cooper, chief medical correspondent Gupta and Animal Planet host Jeff Corwin. (AP Photo/Diane Bondareff)

An Anderson Cooper overload!

2007-09-26T02:24:00.000-04:00

Ok it's great more new photos are surfacing... Here are some photos of Anderson attending Elton John's Gala...
Enjoy!

Si tienen la oportunidad de visita esta nueva revista, es un concepto nuevo que está desarrollando una amiga, es un centro de reunión y exploración hispano de creencias místicas y espirituales. Me gusta mucho el diseño.

It's not Monday, but Anderson isn't helping

2007-09-25T23:33:00.000-04:00

Some photos of Anderson Cooper and Jeffrey Toobin @ Barnes and Noble, NYC

Thanks to agent 000WTF for the images... I'll be back to posting soon! keep on browsing!

Hump Day

2007-09-19T15:50:00.000-04:00

How is everyone doing?

What do you think of OJ's arrest? I read this afternoon that he posted bail and is out walking the streets again. I hate to judge (seeing as he's supposed to be innocent until proven guilty), but it would be poetic justice were he to get that life sentence they keep mentioning.

Ron Goldman's sister was on the Today show this morning and she mentioned karma. Yeah, karma's a b!^&#, ain't it?

I also saw Senator John McCain on the Today show. What a trooper. You know, I don't agree with his beliefs regarding the Iraq war--he's riding around in a tour bus with "No Surrender" painted on the side; what does that tell you?--but I have to give him kudos for standing firm with those beliefs. Despite the polls that say the American public is against the war, Senator McCain is supportive of the war and it looks like he would keep troops there as long as possible, were he to be elected President.

And last but not least, what about that kid who got tasered at the University of Florida? What happened to free speech, anyway? Sure, the kid might have been a nuisance, but is that a reason to taser someone? If so, those university cops need to head to Washington DC right now...I can think of a few people who could use a lil "shock 'n awe" of their own.

1 hour with Anderson Cooper

2007-09-13T13:53:00.000-04:00

Now all speculations might rest, Anderson Cooper 360 was officially downsized to 1 hour, the 11 slot will be filled with...... A REPEAT!!! geez no one saw that coming.....

CNN turns '360' into hourlong
Cabler makes tweaks to Cooper show

By MICHAEL LEARMONTH Variety

Cooper

Anderson Cooper is about to do a 180.

CNN is permanently shifting to taped programming for the second hour of "Anderson Cooper 360," scaling back an ambitious programming block created in 2005 to showcase the studio and field-reporting talents of Cooper, who it viewed as an emerging star.

CNN launched Cooper in the two-hour live block starting at 10 p.m. ET in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina two years ago, placing him alongside Aaron Brown, whose "NewsNight" had been extended an additional hour to report on the disaster.

But CNN soon benched Brown and made the two-hour block permanent, with Cooper at the helm, and promoted the anchor's blend of reporting with personality that became his signature.

CNN's cable news competitors air taped programming at 11 p.m. ET, a cheaper proposition, and the second hour of "360" runs second in the ratings to a rerun of "The O'Reilly Factor" on Fox News Channel.

Cooper averaged 747,000 viewers in his second hour in August, less than O'Reilly's 965,000 and a steep drop from the 1.1 million he averaged during the first hour, according to Nielsen.

Sources at competing networks have long speculated that CNN would cancel the second hour and revert to tape at 11 p.m.

CNN spokesperson Christa Robinson said the net has no intention of canceling the second hour and cast the move as a continuation of what the network had been doing this summer--reverting to pre-recorded programming in the second hour unless news events warrant otherwise.

But insiders say the net has been weighing a return to a repeat of "Lou Dobbs Tonight," or as some suggest, airing a repeat of Campbell Brown's new show which will be launched in November.

When CNN extended "NewsNight" in 2005, it displaced a second airing of "Lou Dobbs Tonight," a lucrative hour for the net since it cost nothing to produce, raked in advertising and exposed Dobbs to West Coast viewers at 8 p.m.

The move was seen at the time as a blow to Dobbs, though his numbers have grown since then and the firebrand anchor's hour is now CNN's highest-rated show behind "Larry King Live."

Sources said both Dobbs and Brown have lobbied for the time slot.

The stakes are high for Brown, who is set to compete at the 8 p.m. hour against FNC's O'Reilly and MSNBC's Keith Olbermann. If she gets another airing at 11, she'd face O'Reilly twice a day.

MSNBC at one time experimented with Tucker Carlson at 11 p.m. but soon moved him to 6 and launched its "Doc Block," filled with repurposed "Dateline" episodes.

Here we go!!!!!

2007-09-08T23:53:00.000-04:00

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Ok, we owe you... the path of work and remodeling is not the best match...

But here some pics of Anderson Cooper arriving to the set of Regis and Kelly

And thanks to a great friend (THANKS!!! IOU!!!!!!) for saving our butts!!!

Have a great week!

As always, what you were waiting for

2007-08-30T00:24:00.000-04:00

For our international viewers, clips from much awaited Katrina anniversary programming

Where did Anderson Cooper go?

2007-08-29T21:29:00.000-04:00

When Katrina hit the US Gulf Coast, Anderson Cooper was catapulted from second tier anchor to a mainstream name. The Landrieu interview (above) became the “voice” of the Nation’s indignity in the way things were handled by the Bush and State administrations. Some claimed that precise moment was the turning point of Cooper’s career; others went so far to claim he was the new face of journalism, or the birth of the emo-anchor. The rebirth of journalism. Or was it?

Cooper became a symbol, the ultimate resource of everything Katrina, almost a spokesperson for the victims coining the phrase Keeping them Honest. The public was tired of the silence of the press, of its fear (the press and parent companies) of losing access to information if they made the right questions about Iraq, their contractors or any sign of corruption to the White House. Cooper’s interview to Landrieu broke that silence. And its force was comparable to Katrina.

Time Warner and its research division didn’t miss the opportunity to grasp the reaction. Bad news is good news for media outlets. They gain a lot of money with tragedies. And they were going to milk the Cooper empathy for what it was worth. Soon he was everywhere: billboards, ads, magazine covers, book tours. He was presented as a new millennium super hero. Every interview meticulously scripted and threaded (just think about the interviews that he repeats the same information over and over again). CNN’s promotional budget for him was rumored to be around 10 million. And the public loved it. But Scholars and media professionals on the other hand weren’t so pleased.

Was the Landrieu interview a constructed effort or an outburst of raw emotion and indignation? Most (scholars and professionals) think it was a very decent human been calling on someone on its own Bull Shit, but not a journalistic endeavor. Some claim he became the face of Katrina, sometimes focusing everything on his image eclipsing the real issues and problems.

He tried to keep the bravado in other interviews like the one with Iran’s president. Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, which was very close to a train wreck where he went to the cheap offensive and righteous position of claiming freedom of press, forgetting that his own executive producer asked at the 360 blog ( Sept. 20, 2006 ) to submit questions to the president, making valid Ahmadinejad’s question about if he asked everything ”they asked him to ask”. He missed a golden opportunity to provoke questions, discussions; he went with the cheap smart ass trick.

His reports and series became photo ops for promotion, some of them like the Planet in Peril editions a great example of bad production. Many people were looking forward to his Katrina first anniversary special, which ironically became the perfect example of mediocrity. They didn’t even used the reports made by the team of American Morning (excellent BTW) They limited themselves to the old shrimp boat… to later claim there is no right to have Katrina Fatigue.

All the promotional investment hasn’t proportionally translated in strong and steady ratings growths. Seven years ago, during an Edwards R. Murrow Awards Ceremony at the RTNDA, Christiane Amanpour presented and excellent explanation to it: “I believe good journalism is good business.” And the monster ratings she had with God’s Warriors proved it, leaving in the dust all news stations.

But it’s not all Anderson Cooper’s fault. TV production is a team effort. Management and production has to work hand in hand, and respect its audience, something that the team behind Cooper is seriously lacking or forgetting. Sometimes I ask myself if we are really watching CNN or E!?

Amanpour again addressed the issues:

“Surely a news operation should be the crown jewel of any corporation…the thing that makes a corporation feel good about itself. We all love "Millionaire," make your money off that….make your super-dollars somewhere else. Leave us alone, with only good competitive journalism as our benchmark. I know I do not need to remind you of all the quality programs that make money too…60-minutes, Nightline…are just a couple. No matter what the hocus-pocus focus groups tell you, time has proven that all the gimmicks and cheap journalism can only carry you so far.”

“Remember the movie "Field of Dreams" when the voice said, "Build it and they will come." Well, tell a compelling story and they will watch. Lest you think these are woolly-headed musings …we are not dinosaurs…we are the frontier. You've mastered the hardware…we are the software. And that will never change. Today's buzzwords seem to be content, and platforms. Well, we produce the content for all your different platforms…and that will never change. Humble newsprint, the New York Times, still rules the world. As someone else might have said, "It's the content stupid." You've invested so much money in technology…perhaps it's time to invest in talent…in people…do you know how many people in newsrooms I know have a hard time even recognizing news anymore….”

People in the media knows that CNN is great for entry level positions (the pay isn’t that good unlike networks), but unfortunately the lack of experience of its productions slaps you through your TV set. A friend from Argentina who usually catches 360 through CNN International sent me an email furious about the coverage of the Vick case. He couldn’t understand how that case was more important than the lost of entire cities in Peru or other international events. Why people in Europe should tune in to watch CNN for Paris Hilton? As Anderson Cooper once said: there is a war, there is a war, there is a war. And God’s Warrior proved that people tune in for good content.

Tonight Anderson will present his Katrina Second Anniversary Special. I no longer expect to be amazed or informed by his show. I do not even expect to see quality. I’m tired of the endless rehashing and recycling of news or clips that belong to America’s Funniest Videos or Animal Planet, an insult when you think there are hundreds of journalist that are killed in order to cover the news, and a whole nation hungry (or at least in need) to be informed in an entire new perspective.

Will tonight mark the return of Anderson Cooper? I'm not holding my breath.

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2007-08-27T05:58:00.000-04:00

Happy Monday everyone,
another week, another adventure or another dull routine... August have been very hectic to say it softly. I really want to thank Courtney and Ivy for keeping things running in my absence, I didn't expected it to be so long, and although I had the opportunity to sneak into the chat, blogging was an overkill for me.

This week The FreakSpeakers blog celebrates its first anniversary. A year already! Many thought we wouldn't last this long, and sincerely after all the controversies I'm even surprised of our endurance. We have had great moments, some thunderstorms and hurricanes... but we are still standing and having fun in the process.

For our chat regulars and lurkers, we changed the chatroom platform. It is a lot more friendly and it is supposed to work better... follow the link and check it out! (remember @10 PM) With this platform we have a lot more control.

I also want to present you with a comment made by Ted Casablanca at his Awful Truth Column, which I found disturbingly funny:

Anderson Cooper, just wanna warn ya: The boys in Manhattan’s David Barton gym are on a mission, I’ve been informed, to sidle up to you at the urinals every time you go for a little relief, in case you hadn’t noticed, which, I’m certain, is an impossibility. Take it as a compliment, you little CNN cutie! Last time I heard there was such a package-peeking explosion in New Yawk, it was aimed at the hunk who may rest in peace, JFK Jr. So, take the compliment already, babe.

Is there a scavenger hunt for a pic of Anderson Cooper's private parts? I see another gym in Anderson's near future...

And to enhance your morning, and as usual, here some photos of Anderson!

I'm off to get some coffee!