John Harrison
20th May 2003, 01:09 PM
From The Washington Times (http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20030519-110144-7123r.htm)
CNN has found itself the target of criticism for misleading viewers about the types of weapons prohibited by a federal law due to expire next year.
Two CNN broadcasts last week, which featured firing demonstrations by the sheriff's department in Broward County, Fla., suggested that firearms banned under a 1994 law are more powerful than similar, legal weapons. Yesterday, CNN admitted that was not true.
"In fact, if you fire the same caliber and type bullets from the two guns, you get the same impact," CNN's John Zarella told viewers yesterday.
-snip-
In the first of the two segments that aired Thursday, a Broward County detective fired the AK-47 in semiautomatic mode, and the camera showed bullets hitting a cinder-block target. The detective then fired a legal semiautomatic weapon, and CNN showed a cinder-block target with no apparent damage. On Friday, CNN admitted that the detective had not been firing at the cinder block.
Is CNN in a race with FOX to see who can have the least amount of credibility with the public? Although in retrospect this fits quite well with legislation that bans firearms based on how scary they look.
CNN has found itself the target of criticism for misleading viewers about the types of weapons prohibited by a federal law due to expire next year.
Two CNN broadcasts last week, which featured firing demonstrations by the sheriff's department in Broward County, Fla., suggested that firearms banned under a 1994 law are more powerful than similar, legal weapons. Yesterday, CNN admitted that was not true.
"In fact, if you fire the same caliber and type bullets from the two guns, you get the same impact," CNN's John Zarella told viewers yesterday.
-snip-
In the first of the two segments that aired Thursday, a Broward County detective fired the AK-47 in semiautomatic mode, and the camera showed bullets hitting a cinder-block target. The detective then fired a legal semiautomatic weapon, and CNN showed a cinder-block target with no apparent damage. On Friday, CNN admitted that the detective had not been firing at the cinder block.
Is CNN in a race with FOX to see who can have the least amount of credibility with the public? Although in retrospect this fits quite well with legislation that bans firearms based on how scary they look.