OK, I will admit it, I watched Paris Hilton on "Larry King King" last night. And I will further admit that I think Paris got a bad deal from the courts. We glamor girls have to stick together :-)
But there's another issue, more relevant to Cable Gamers: That is, to what degree did King's network, CNN, "bimbo" its credibility? And what about all those pious promises about hard news from CNN prexy Jon Klein?
Here's the great Glenn Garvin, writing in The Miami Herald, zinging CNN for its hypocrisy. Note, in particular, Glenn's joke at the end!
CNN is just busting its buttons over scoring the first interview with grizzled ex-con Paris Hilton, Wednesday night at 9 p.m. on Larry King's show. Only the churlish would point out that Hilton came to CNN only after the three broadcast news divisions were shamed into dropping the idea. And only the churlisher would do something as mean as point out that CNN boss Jon Klein is always bragging that his network doesn't do bimbos or car chases, just Serious News.
Klein in 2005: "Our editorial chops are alive and well. We're kicking butt everyday. The American people want serious news -- and they're not getting enough of it from cable…We are the most essential source of information for Americans. We've aligned all of our day parts to be the newsy alternatives."
Klein in 2006: "Sizzle is out – audiences expect substance and we deliver that in a way no one else does. We are feeling very good about the momentum we have gained and the fact that we are showcasing our reporting. Our gimmick is news."
Klein in 2007: "We're hoping Paris will flash her boobs on camera." Okay, I made that one up, but don't you bet he's thinking it?
And another cmpendium of Klein Quotes, courtesty of Eric Deggans of The St. Petersburg Times:
New York Times, June 26, 2006
“Our gimmick is news.”
New York Times, February 13, 2006
“Any of us can do the quick fix…it’s a deal with the devil. You confuse your identity to the audience.”
The Atlanta Journal Constitution, January 8. 2006
“Real journalists like to win the quality war.”
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, October 30, 2005
“Our stock and trade is our authority, experience, trustworthiness and objectivity. Those qualities develop over time, and you'd be shooting yourself in the foot to simply go for youth and looks at the expense of ability.”
New York Times, September 12, 2005
“There are an awful lot of things you can cover if you don’t have people tied up with this meaningless nonsense...Cable news has to stop ‘obsessing over this trivial stuff’’.
