Artwork by: Flaviano Armentaro
What I saw in
Script/Photo by: Carlo Gubitosa
Behind the scenes in the temple of mainstream media To taste a bit of top-level journalism I sneak into Cnn Headquarters in Atlanta for a guided tour... NO PHOTO!
why? security!
but... thanks to my superpowers, i can take pictures against the rules.
next!
The hardest part is not wall-crawling, but taking random shoots without seeing where camera is pointing.
Press Freedom?
While people is still being searched at the entrance, the others are left to see annoying ads. But When president Ahmadinejad appears on screen, everybody runs away. Coincidence or protest?
independence from advertising? The newsrooom of the HLN news channel seems like a zoo
In the corridors there is a wall with a big picture, a tribute to war reporters. But why the cameraman doesn’t wear a jacket? The other one is just trying to impress the audience?
no jacket
bulletproof jacket
fairness in reporting?
I saw some reality outside!
with frustrated journalists trapped in hi-tech cages.
I don’t get out since 9/11...
openness?
Then we are introduced to Cnn website and the wonders of citizen journalism: clips of surfing dogs submitted by the users. WOW!
interactivity ?
To interview some colleagues I go to the reception showing my badge of professional journalist. But I am told to make a phone call, and calling by phone i am told to send an email. CNN people is unreachable!
What’s the matter with you? I just tried to make 3 questions:
It is true that in atlanta CNN headquarters have a group of editors in charge of censoring the news coming from war zones?
I sent an email with the questions, let’s see if an answer will ever come. But i think that this is the Why do you show like a trophy the SUV used to broadcast the destruction of Saddam Hussein’s statue in april 2003? Everybody knows that it was a fake event constructed for media and not a real people riot.
END
of the story.