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>>> WELCOME BACK TO "RELIABLE
SOURCES."
A SATIRICAL HEADLINE FROM "THE
NEW YORKER" THIS WEEK.
"TOTAL ABSENCE OF INFORMATION
ABOUT MALAYSIA FLIGHT NOT
HINDERING 24 HOUR COVERAGE CABLE
NETWORKS SAY."
A SATIRICAL HEADLINE BUT GETTING
AT SOMETHING THERE THAT'S
IMPORTANT.
SPECULATION INFORMED
SPECULATION, HAS BEEN A BIG
PARTY OF THIS STORY.
I ASKED BOB HAGER TO ENGAGE IN
IT IN THE LAST SEGMENT FOR A
GOOD REASON.
BOB HAGER KNOWS MORE THAN JUST
ABOUT ANYONE HOW TO COVER MAJOR
AIR DISASTERS.
IT TENDS TO BE A DIRTY WORD IN
JOURNALISM, TAUGHT TO STICK TO
THE FACTS AS WE KNOW THEM.
I KNOW CNN HAS COME UNDER
CRITICISM THIS WEEK FOR ENGAGING
IN THAT KIND OF SPECULATION.
BUT LET'S BE HONEST, THERE ARE
TIMES WHEN INFORMED SPECULATION
MOVES A STORY FORWARD.
YOU TAKE THE FEW SFAKTSS YOU DO
HAVE AND ASK THE REAL EXPERTS
LIKE FORMER NTSB OFFICIALS OR
PEOPLE THAT UNDERSTAND THE
COMPLEX EQUIPMENT INVOLVED AND
THEY EXPLAIN WHAT THE FEW CLUES
WE HAVE MIGHT MEAN.
IF THAT'S SPECULATION IT'S ALSO
A FORM OF JOURNAL, MAYBE NOT THE
KIND EVERYBODY WANTS TO SEE ALL
THE TIME ON TELEVISION.
IS THIS A SITUATION THAT CALLS
FOR SPECULATION?
IS THIS A SITUATION THAT DEMANDS
THIS KIND OF SPECULATION?
JOINING ME AN EXPERT IN
JOURNALISM AND SAT IN THE ANCHOR
CHAIR WHEN NEWS BREAKS, FRANK,
THE DIRECTOR OF THE GEORGE
WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF
MEDIA AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS.
I WONDER IF THERE'S A TENDENCY
WHAT WOULD BE TAUGHT AND SAY.
WE WOULD BE TAUGHT NEVER TO
REPORT A RUMOR, RUMORS ARE OFF
LIMITS AND IN THIS CASE THERE
HAVE BEEN RUMORS BROADCAST AND I
HAVE BEEN GLAD THEY HAVE BEEN
BROUGHT UP.
FRIDAY NIGHT OF THE FIRST DAY OF
ALL OF THIS, PIERS MORGAN
MENTIONED RUMORS THAT THE PLANE
HAD LANDED IN VIETNAM BUT MADE
CLEAR THOSE RU MORES WERE
UNCONFIRMED.
HE WAS SHARING WHAT WAS ON THE
INTERNET AND TALKED ABOUT BUT
TRYING TO TAMP DOWN THAT
SPECULATION SAYING IT WAS
UNCONFIRMED.
IS THAT AN EXAMPLE OF THE
TENSION BETWEEN, YOU KNOW,
PRACTICE AND REALITY?
>> YES.
I MEAN, IN THE NOT SO OLD DAYS,
OLD DAYS, WE WOULD HAVE SAID
NEVER REPORT A RUMOR.
IN THE OLD DAYS WHEN WE WERE
NEVER REPORTING A RUMOR THERE
WEREN'T SOCIAL MEDIA RUMORS
BEING REPORTED ALL THE TIME.
>> RIGHT.
>> SO THIS MERGER OF OLD MEDIA
AND NEW MEDIA AND OLD ETHICS AND
NEW ETHICS IN JOURNALISM IS A
COLLISION.
I REMEMBER WHEN I WAS WORKING
FOR THIS NETWORK AN JOHN F.
KENNEDY JR.'S PLANE WENT DOWN, I
WAS MINDING MY OWN BUSINESS, GOT
A CALL, COME INTO THE BUREAU, GO
ON, A RECORD FOR ME, I WENT
4 1/2 HOURS WITHOUT GETTING UP
TO GO TO THE BATHROOM.
WE HAD NO INFORMATION.
BUT WE WERE WALL-TO-WALL WITH
THIS.
WE HAD TO DO THAT.
THE AUDIENCE WANTED IT.
THE AUDIENCE EXPECTED IT OF CNN.
WE HAD TO BE VERY CAREFUL, WHAT
I CALL THE LANGUAGE OF LIVE,
WHEN YOU ARE LIVE ON THE AIR
WITH VERY LIMITED INFORMATION
BUT YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH IT.
NOW YOU HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE
INFORMATION, THE RUMOR, THE
SPECULATION THAT'S COMING,
LITERALLY FROM AROUND THE WORLD
IN REAL TIME.
>> THIS PARALLEL UNIVERSE OF
INFORMATION THAT'S GOING TO BE
ON-LINE WHETHER WE LIKE IT OR
NOT.
I FEEL LIKE ON TELEVISION WE CAN
AT LEAST TRY TO SEPARATE FACTS
FROM WHAT MIGHT BE FICTION.
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
BUT HERE'S WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO
WHEN YOU'RE ON TELEVISION DOING
THAT.
YOU HAVE TO SAY, I'M NOW
SEPARATING FACT FROM FICTION.
YOU HAVE TO SAY, HERE'S WHAT WE
KNOW.
THESE ARE THE THREE FACTS WE
KNOW.
HERE ARE THE 15 SPECULATIVE
THEORIES WE DON'T KNOW BUT WE'RE
GOING TO INVESTIGATE THEM AND
DISCUSS THEM BECAUSE THIS WHAT
IS INVESTIGATORS ARE LOOKING AT,
THIS IS WHAT PEOPLE ARE ASKINGS
US, THIS WHAT IS WE'RE HEARING
IN SOCIAL MEDIA BECAUSE WE KNOW
WONDER ABOUT THIS AND THIS IS --
>> ALMOST LIKE A WARNING LABEL
ON THE COVERAGE.
>> YEAH, RIGHT.
SURGEON GENERAL, RIGHT?
YEAH.
IT'S DIFFICULT BUT IT'S
IMPORTANT AND IT'S HAPPENING.
>> TAKE ME BACK TO THOSE TIMES
WHEN YOU WERE IN THAT ANCHOR
CHAIR ON BREAKING NEWS STORIES.
SEEMS LIKE BREAKING NEWS
COVERAGE IS MORE RAW, HONEST,
BECAUSE THE ANCHOR IS
EXPERIENCING IT WITH THE VIEWER
IN REAL TIME.
WHAT'S THAT PRESSURE LIKE?
YOU TALK ABOUT THE LANGUAGE OF
LIVE?
>> IT'S REALLY VERY DIFFICULT AN
YOU HAVE TO KNOW THIS AN YOU
HAVE TO UNDERSTAND YOUR
RESPONSIBILITY OBVIOUSLY TO THE
AUDIENCE BUT ALSO THE NATURE OF
THE STORY ITSELF.
I THINK THE MOST IMPORTANT THING
WHEN YOU'RE SITTING IN THAT
CHAIR AND IT'S TOUGH IS TO KEEP
IN YOUR HEAD WHAT YOU KNOW, WHAT
YOU DON'T KNOW, WHAT'S A
LEGITIMATE QUESTION AND WHAT'S A
WILD OUT THERE QUESTION AND HOW
YOU BRING THE AUDIENCE INTO THAT
PROCESS SO THAT YOU'RE SORTING
THROUGH THAT.
ALL RIGHT.
SO IN THE CASE OF THIS JET, WAS
IT TERRORISM, A LITHIUM ION
BATTERY THAT BLEW IT OUT, WAS
THE OXYGEN DOWN SO EVERYBODY
LOST CONSCIOUSNESS?
HOW LONG DID IT FLY.
DID IT CRASH IN THE OCEAN, LAND
ON AN ISLAND SOME PLACE, IS IT
STILL OUT THERE.
SOME OF THESE QUESTIONS ARE WAY
OUT THERE, AND I THINK WHAT YOU
HAVE TO DO WHEN YOU'RE SITTING
IN THAT CHAIR, WHEN YOU'RE
BRINGING THE AUDIENCE WITH YOU,
IS BE VERY TRANSPARENT ABOUT IT.
AND BRING THEM INTO THAT
QUESTIONING PROCESS, REALLY
DIRECTLY SO THEY'RE PART OF IT.
>> PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TALKING
ABILITY THE TYPE OF COVERAGE IN
THIS CASE A LOT OF SPECULATION,
BUT THE AMOUNT OF COVERAGE, CNN
HAS BEEN WALL TO WALL OVER A
WEEK NOW.
THE RATINGS HAVE BEEN HIGHER
THAN THEY AARE FOR CNN.
WHICH TELLS ME VIEWERS DO CARE
ABOUT THIS STORY.
IS THERE SUCH A THING AS TOO
MUCH COVERAGE ABOUT A STORY LIKE
THIS.
>> YES, THERE.
>> ARE WE THERE?
>> MAYBE.
THIS IS WHERE THE -- THIS IS THE
RUB.
THIS IS THE TENSION, THE
CONFLICT.
IT'S WHAT YOU SAY, IT'S HOW YOU
SAY IT, IT'S HOW MUCH YOU SAY
IT, AND IT'S HOW LOUD YOU SAY
IT.
WE CALL THAT PROPORTIONALITY.
THE BIG DANGER IN CABLE
TELEVISION AND BIG DANGER ALWAYS
CONFRONTING CNN AND IT'S
CONFRONTED CNN SINCE CNN WENT ON
THE AIR AND STARTD DOING 24-HOUR
NEWS IS HOW LOUD TO SHOUT, HOW
MUCH TO DO THIS, HOW MUCH
BREAKING NEWS IS REALLY BREAKING
NEWS AND HOW YOU CONVEY TO YOUR
AUDIENCE THIS IS A HUGE STORY,
EVERYBODY IS INTERESTED, WE'RE
GOING TO LIVE ON THIS, GO 24/7
WASHLGS TO WALL.
I'M DATING MYSELF BUT WHEN WE
HAD THE O.J. SIMPSON TRIAL AND
WENT WALL TO WALL WITH THAT.
THAT IS THE FIRST TIME CNN
REALLY DISCOVERED IN A POWERFUL
WAY THE AUDIENCE WANTS
WALL-TO-WALL COVERAGE AND
REWARDS THAT WITH HUGE NUMBERS.
WHEN YOU KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE
WANTS THAT, THAT'S A BALANCE
THEN YOU HAVE TO WALK.
>> OF COURSE THE O.J. SIMPSON
TRIAL WAS A MYSTERY BUT OF A
DIFFERENT KIND.
COURT CASES ARE A MYSTERY JUST
LIKE THIS IS A MYSTERY RIGHT NOW
UNFOLDING BEFORE OUR EYES.
>> I THINK, BRIAN, THAT'S SO
IMPORTANT FOR US TO REALIZE THAT
WHAT WE'VE GOT HERE IN AND WHY
THIS STORY IS COMPELLING,
UNBELIEVE HUMAN INTEREST AND
HUMAN CONCERN, TRAGEDY, 239S
SOULS, SOMEWHERE, LOST, WE DON'T
KNOW.
THERE IS THE AVIATION STORY.
THERE IS THE NATIONAL SECURITY
STORY.
THERE IS THE TERRORISM STORY IF
THERE'SES THAT.
THE AVIATION STORY.
WE ALL FLY.
I SAT DOWN YESTERDAY FOR
BREAKFAST IN NEW YORK CITY AND
I'M TALKING TO A GUY WHO HAS
NOTHING TO DO WITH THE NEWS
BUSINESS AND STARTS TELLING ME
WHAT HE THINKS HAPPENS BECAUSE
HE HAS INTEREST IN AVIATION AND
FLIES.
>> RIGHT.
>> SO THAT'S STORY, THAT MYSTERY
CONNECTS ON ALL THESE COMPELLING
LEVELS.
>> BACK TO OUR ORIGINAL POINT
ABOUT SPECULATION DO YOU THINK
THERE ARE TIMES WHEN IT CAN BE
DAMAGING, HURT THE CREDIBILITY
OF THE NEWS BUSINESS?
THAT'S WHAT THIS COMES BACK TO.
>> SPECULATION IS VERY DANGEROUS
BECAUSE IF YOU SPECULATE WILDLY
YOU APPEAR TO BE IRRESPONSIBLE,
YOU CAN BE IRRESPONSIBLE.
YOU CAN FUEL UNDO CONCERNS, UNDO
PANIC.
YOU CAN FUEL MISINFORMATION.
AND THEN IN THE JOURNALISTIC
WORLD, YOU WILL BE AND YOU
SHOULD BE ACCOUNTABLE FOR THAT.
BUT SPECULATION CAN ALSO BE
SMART SPECULATION AND INFORMED
SPECULATION.
YOU'RE AN INVESTIGATOR.
I'M THE SHOW HOST.
AND I'M ASKING YOU TAKE ME INTO
THIS INVESTIGATION.
YOU'VE BEEN IN SIMILAR THINGS
LIKE THIS OR NOT.
WHAT'S LIKELY TO BE HAPPENING.
THAT'S A QUESTION THAT EVERYONE
IS ASKING.
BY DEFINITION THAT'S A
SPECULATIVE QUESTION BUT SOMEONE
CAN PROVIDE SOME INFORMED
GUIDANCE, SPECULATION AS TO
WHAT'S TAKING PLACE, THE
QUESTIONS THAT ARE BEING ASKED
AND ANSWERED.
I THINK THAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT
AND THAT'S WHAT AN AUDIENCE
WANTS TO KNOW.
AGAIN, YOU'RE IN THIS DANGEROUS
TIME, RIGHT, BETWEEN WHEN
SOMETHING HAS HAPPENED AND WHEN
YOU KNOW WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED.
AND, YOU KNOW, THE INVESTIGATION
IS GOING ON DURING THAT TIME.