Home and Away: A Tribute to Coalition Troops

This post started out like so many others, just a simple heads up about something new that CNN.com had added to its already extensive archives. But after taking some time to look through the newest addition I must say I'm not only blown away but the volume of work that went into this but also very moved by the touching tribute....and its timeliness. Please take a few minutes this Memorial Day weekend and navigate through the site as a way of honoring and paying tribute to those who have sacrificed their lives to protect our freedom.

CNN Pays Tribute to Coalition Casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq Wars with Launch of “Home and Away”

Continuing to develop innovative ways to present its audience with news and information, CNN is combining the unparalleled strengths of its on-air and online platforms to honor every Coalition Forces casualty in Afghanistan and Iraq.
CNN.com has launched “Home and Away,” an immersive interactive which allows users to learn about and pay tribute to more than 6,000 fallen troops from more than 20 countries.
“Each of these casualties has an inspiring and moving story, and we wanted to find an exceptional way to honor the sacrifice every single one of them made,” said Susan Grant, executive vice president of CNN News Services. “We hope ‘Home and Away’ serves as an enduring memorial for those that made the ultimate sacrifice while also helping the CNN audience more personally connect with this deeply complex topic.”
“We were so moved by the powerful stories of these service members and those who loved them along the way,” said Michelle Jaconi, Executive Producer, John King, USA. “Our CNN.com colleagues have created a powerful tool that allows us to more deeply engage with our viewers, connecting them to personal tributes from the fallen's family and friends."
This extensive data visualization project began nearly 10 years ago at the start of the war in Afghanistan. A cross-divisional effort between the CNN Library and CNN.com, a team of researchers, producers, designers, user-experience specialists and developers have gathered information about the casualties of the wars. Evolving from two separate lists of casualties in Afghanistan and Iraq, “Home and Away” tells the story of where and how the lives of these troops began and ended, and is continually enhanced with personal memories from family and friends.
Users can search for casualties across several different criteria, including last name, age hometown, location of death and date of death. More detail about the life of each casualty is featured on a personal memorial page, as well as memories from family and friends shared through iReport, CNN’s user-generated news community. Users may share iReport tributes for any service member directly from their memorial page.

There are interactive maps of the US that list fatalities in both Afghanistan and Iraq. As you move your cursor over the States names of those who have passed are shown.
Here's the map for those that have died in Afghanistan:
And for those who lost their lives in Iraq:
There are also interactive maps of Afghanistan and Iraq that illustrate how many lives were lost in which districts/regions of the country.

Again, I urge you to take some time and navigate through 'Home and Away'. I don't think you will regret it. Have a safe Memorial Day weekend.


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Your Views on the News May 28, 2010

We've posted article after article that look at what is wrong with CNN and how to 'fix' it. But amid all the discussion I think we've lost track of how far CNN has come from its humble start. Earlier this week Richard Huff, NY Daily News.com, wrote an article that looks back:

CNN has taken its lumps lately.

Campbell Brown is giving up her nightly show because of low ratings, Larry King has on- and off-camera woes, and the Fox News Channel long ago overtook CNN as the cable-news ratings champ.

Troubles aside, it is important to note that three decades ago next week, CNN changed the face of news.

"You feel like we deserve a little credit for that," says Will King, senior director of news operations for CNN International.

"Even the phrase 'news on demand,' though it's a phrase that's associated with the Web - June 1, 1980 established the ability for consumers to have news on demand," says King.

Think about it: Before 1980, the notion of news around the clock, delivered around the world, was unheard of. But a cable maverick from Atlanta named Ted Turner wanted to try. He did, barely succeeding at times, but he built the basic model for cable news.

King is one of the 14 staffers hired in 1980 who are still with CNN. He remembers the tough times early on, when payday was a concern.

"'You better get your check and go down to the bank and cash it early,'" he recalls the whispers. "'We hear the company doesn't have enough money to make payroll.' And sure enough, you could see people lined up at a nearby bank branch."

He laughs now, but King was a believer in the 2-4/7 news network from the start.

"I knew that was going to be a revolutionary idea. How many people in the profession they want to work in can do something that's truly revolutionary? It's like working in [Thomas] Edison's workshop."

So he left a job in Memphis for CNN in Atlanta to find a newsroom with some equipment still wrapped in plastic, and no indoor bathrooms. "Outside one of the exit doors were some Port-APotties," he says.

When CNN launched, it stood alone in the cable news arena. It took years before CNN staffers were treated on the same level as those of other news outlets.

But after continuous coverage of big stories like the 1986 Space Shuttle Challenger explosion; the 1987 coverage of the rescue of Jessica McClure, a toddler trapped for 59 hours in a well, and the start of the Gulf War in 1991, which King calls a "game changer" - CNN became a major player.

CNN launched CNN2, which eventually became HLN in 1982. Now CNN is seen in more than 200 countries and has paved the way for Fox News Channel, MSNBC and, one might argue, the Weather Channel.

"I'm very blessed to have been part of a company that has not only invented the genre," King says, "but has continued to set the bar for others to follow."

And they have.

"One of the jokes at the time was, 'What's the difference between CNN and the Hindenberg?'" King says, looking back to the network's launch. "The Hindenberg got off the ground."

The connection, while a joke in 1980, is notable. The Hindenberg disaster changed aviation history.

CNN, of course, changed TV history.

Yesterday Alex Weprin of TVNewser posted some facts and opinion about CNN's meeting on Thursday with their investors:

.....Time Warner hosted an "investor day" where CEO Jeff Bewkes and the various division chiefs gave updates on the state of the business. The above slide is from the presentation delivered by Phil Kent, the chairman and CEO of Turner Broadcasting System, which oversees CNN.
(Note that this slide includes CNN U.S., CNN International, HLN and CNN Digital, so it is the combined revenue of three television networks and their respective online properties.)

Kent said that operating income for 2009 was approximately $500 million, slightly higher than the estimates made by SNL Kagan. CNN says this is the first time Time Warner has broken out financial numbers for its news division.

As you can see in the chart, and as we explained earlier this week, the heart of the CNN (and cable) business is subscription fees, which account for around 50% of total revenue. Advertising and ancillary revenue streams account for the other 50%.

CNN's pitch to investors and the press is that its business is healthy despite declining ratings in primetime. While it is true that CNN U.S. primetime only accounts for about 10% of revenue, it is still responsible for a disproportionate amount of advertising revenue on the flagship network. CNN as a whole can thrive financially even if its primetime stumbles, but it has to work harder to make up for it through the other two channels or its digital division.

Primetime -- across all television networks, not just CNN -- is still the most valuable real estate for media companies and advertisers, because of its reach and the ease of monetizing it. It is also an important factor in carriage negotiations. If CNN's carriage agreement with Cablevision is up for renewal, poor performance in primetime would be one of the cable company's arguments against a higher fee, which SNL Kagan estimates is currently $0.48 cents. Considering that carriage fees are the heart of CNN's business, it is not a fact to be taken lightly. Cablevision, Comcast or DirecTV are not interested in how well CNN.com is doing, because they are paying for the right to televise the channel and the rights to use CNN content on on-demand platforms, etc.

( Update: CNN says that when it renegotiates carriage fees the most important factors are total reach and the brand of the channel. In the case of CNN, the network's 30 year history and track record of covering breaking news events would play a significant role.)

The good news is that the company seems to be having success in driving new revenue streams. Digital advertising and sales (like the CNN iPhone app) account for about 10% of total revenue, the same as CNN U.S. primetime, and the company is looking to grow its wire service this year and next, selling CNN and CNN.com content to affiliates in need of content.

In the pie chart, the service is represented as "Domestic Linear Content" and "International Linear Content." It is also one of the four pillars for growing the news division, according to Kent's presentation. Kent refers to the wire service when he spoke of monetizing "content ownership." The other pillars: continued investment in journalism, managing costs, and extending its multi-platform reach.

The information revealed by CNN serves to confirm the fact that, at least for now, the dual revenue stream cable business model is strong enough to drive profits at a network, even if the programming isn't working. But as we argued, that cannot continue forever. CNN can do well even with primetime ratings troubles, but it will have a much easier time generating advertising revenue and negotiating for higher sub fees if its programming connects. Especially if the programming is from 8-11 p.m.







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Jeffrey Toobin: CNN Legal Analyst Lectures in Syracuse

These are busy times for Jeffrey Toobin, the nation's most visible U.S. Supreme Court reporter.


The author, journalist and CNN legal analyst has been pressed into service more than usual since Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens announced his retirement last month.

Toobin comes to Syracuse Tuesday to speak at the Rosamond Gifford Lecture Series. His most recent book, the best-seller, "The Nine," in 2007, was a detailed look behind the rarely pierced veil of the Supreme Court. It's an ensemble profile of the court set against the backdrop of the court's major rulings.

"The Nine" was Toobin's fifth book. He has also written about Oliver North, O.J. Simpson, the Clinton sex scandal and the presidential recount in the 2000. The Bush v. Gore case that ultimately decided the election is also explored in "The Nine."


Toobin won an Emmy award in 2001 for coverage of the Elian Gonzalez custody dispute in Florida. He has written for The New Yorker magazine since 1993. Before becoming a journalist, Toobin served as an assistant U.S. attorney in Brooklyn and as associate counsel in the Office of Independent Counsel Lawrence E. Walsh.

Post-Standard staff writer Glenn Coin interviewed Toobin in late April, just days after the Stevens announcement. Despite his reluctance to predict because he hates to be wrong, he did correctly predict that President Obama would name Solicitor General Elana Kagan to replace Stevens.

To view the interview and complete article, please click here.


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Donna Brazile interviews Nancy Pelosi

Dismissed by some as an accidental candidate for Congress when she first ran for political office in 1987, Nancy Pelosi is one of the most powerful leaders serving the country today. Raised in a political family—her father, Thomas J. D'Alesandro Jr., was a former member of Congress and both her dad and brother served as mayor of Baltimore— she became the first female speaker of the House of Representatives in 2007.

I sat down for a chat with Speaker Pelosi in her office overlooking the National Mall during one of Congress' busiest weeks—just prior to its passage of landmark healthcare legislation. We spoke about personal beliefs, partisan politics and her hopes for America.

DONNA BRAZILE: You come from a very politically astute family, yet you didn't get the political bug until you were married with children. Tell us about your career and the influence your father had on you.

NANCY PELOSI: I didn't get the political bug to run for office myself. I don't know if I even had that until after I came to Congress—I thought I was doing my civic duty when I came. But my whole family was instilled with a responsibility for our community. Public service was a noble calling. I was born when my father was in Congress. After that he was elected mayor of Baltimore... and then my brother was mayor after him. So that was the only life we knew, helping people. We lived in the same neighborhood that my parents grew up in—Little Italy in Baltimore—and we were surrounded by people who had moved to this country. Many of them needed help and we had an opportunity to help them.
That was always part of who we were as a family. Having a political manifestation of that, that's a different thing. That was for my father and for my brother. I didn't even have the slightest interest in being a public person. But one thing led to another after my children were grown in California. And as fate would have it... [California Congresswoman] Sala Burton died.

DB: I read that when Sala Burton was getting sick, she made a point of telling you that she wanted you to run.

NP: She said, "I want to endorse you. I want you to run for this seat and I'm going to announce that I'm not going to seek reelection next year and that I'm going to support you. Will you accept my endorsement?" I responded by saying, "Sala, you'll be fine." And she said, "I know, I'm going to spend time with my grandchildren and I'll be fine." I thought, Maybe she'll change her mind, she'll run again. This was 1987, in January. She died February 1 of that year and had already made the announcement. I had no idea how sick she was and then she left us, which was very sad. And I promised her I would run, so I had to win.

DB: And what about your husband, Paul, and your five kids? How did they take it when you told them that you were running for office?

NP: Well, I didn't tell them; mostly, I asked them. Paul and I talked about it, and he said, "Do it if you want to do it." Four of my children were already in college, or else I couldn't have even considered it. The youngest, Alexandra, was going to be a senior in high school. So before I told Sala I would do it, I went to Alexandra and said, "Sala has asked me to run for her seat but it probably won't be until next year. You'll probably be in college by then." Then when Sala died, I went back to her and said, "Well now it looks as though it's going to happen now. I don't know whether I'll win, but I have a chance to run and I'm determined to win. But it would be better if it were next year because you'd be in college. I could be happy either way. If you want me to stay here with you, that's fine. If I do go to Congress I'll be here on the weekends..." And she looked at me and said, "Mother, get a life." What teenage girl doesn't want her mother out of town for a few days? It was quite a dismissal. She was kicking me out the door. She and Paul are very close so that was fine. But it was quite jarring in terms of how quickly everything happened.

DB: You came to Congress in '87, when President Reagan was still in office. Some would say it was a difficult time to help lead the country, but you came in and you figured out right away what you had to do.

NP: Everybody told me, "You will love it because you love the issues." The reason I was involved in politics was not because I enjoyed sitting at committee meetings for seven hours on a Saturday afternoon. You know that. It was because I loved the issues. I really liked it and thought, I'll stay for maybe 10 years or something like that, and then head home. I was a perfectly content person. I never had any intention to run for leadership. Not even the remotest intention or ambition. But I became motivated to do that after we lost, and then we lost and then we lost again. And I thought, You know, I don't like losing. I really don't like it at all being in the minority. And I had a plan for how we can win.

DB: Do you have any ambitions to run for the presidency?

NP: No. First of all, I have the greatest job as House speaker. I'm thrilled that we have a Democratic president—that is always important to me. I'm a little beyond that point anyway. [Laughs] One of the reasons I think I have been successful here is that I did whatever I did solidly. When I was doing appropriations, I knew my issues, I knew the policy and knew it solidly. I have to say that about myself. I really master whatever it is I set my mind to. Then, of course, that enables you, whether you plan it or not, to go to the next step. But the reason, I think, that I was able to succeed with my colleagues is they knew that whatever I was doing, whether it was whip, or leader or now speaker, was about them. It wasn't about, "One of these days I want to run for president." This is it. It's about this caucus and our success. I do think some of our leaders before—Mr. Daschle and Mr. Gephardt—were magnificent leaders, but some people thought they were running for president.


DB:I know you're quite passionate about helping ordinary people, especially in this economy. I think one issue that's important to raise is the level of partisanship in this city. Is partisan politics hurting America's progress right now?

NP: Last night as I was going through my files that I'd been meaning to go through, I was watching [a TV show about] Dolly Madison. In it they talk about when James Madison went to Congress. I mean, they were having fist fights in the House of Representatives—fist fights! And canings and everything. So passion about issues is something that is a part of ourc ountry's tradition. But let me say this: I think that people tell the story that they want to tell. Who was partisan when President Bush came to us for help to take the country from the brink of financial crisis? Our members did not like voting for the TARP bill, but they did because it was necessary for our country. It was President Bush's problem that he created with his reckless policies; it was the solution that he chose and his own party abandoned him in terms of passing legislation to pull our financial institutions from the brink. It was probably the most unpopular vote that anybody could have taken—the bailout. But who did it? The Democrats, because it was the responsible thing to do for our country. We don't like the way they began to implement it. It's better now, and we're getting our money back. So when people say that [there's too much partisanship], I think, Wait a minute, what are we talking about here? When it really mattered, when a Republican president needed something... we cooperated. We have a lot of areas where we are able to come together.

DB: Your colleagues have taken some pretty tough votes, and they're getting pounced on by the Republicans, who appear to be more popular than the Democrats right now.

NP:Well, I don't know if they're more popular. I think that nobody likes Washington, period. But they do like our positions. They just don't like that we haven't gotten it done. That's how I see it.

So when people talk about partisanship, to both parties' credit, we vote the way we believe. We have a responsibility to find our common ground. If the Republicans believe in insurance companies and protecting them, they're never going to be in support of our [healthcare]bill, which regulates insurance companies. We believe that there are market-oriented solutions but there has to be some regulation to protect the consumer.

DB: Former Secretary of State Colin Powell said that he thought President Obama had put too much before the American people in terms of healthcare legislation, financial regulatory authority and climate change. Do you agree?

NP: I love him, but I don't agree with him on this score. The fact is these are all connected. They're all about the financial well-being of our country. President Obama was dealt a terrible mess, whether it was with the financial institutions or the state of the economy; whether it was the state of the environment or the budget, distinct from the economy. And so all of these are connected. The recovery package was an immediate jolt to create jobs. The budget was a blueprint for job creation centered around climate/energy, education and healthcare. The three of them were the three pillars of recovery and job creation. They related to reducing taxes, lowering the deficit and regulatory reform. There's integrity to it, a oneness to it, that creates jobs and builds stability in the future and moves the leverage to working people instead of the elites in our country. I think that where I might agree with General Powell is that perhaps this has not been explained fully enough to the American people. This is about one thing: growing the economy of America. Healthcare is an economic issue, and a health issue, too, of course. Climate change is a national security issue but also a jobs and economic issue. Education is the source of all innovation for us, and it begins in the classroom. So, no, I think the president went out there to get done what had to get done.

DB: Given the colossal failures of the Bush administration—the wars, the economy, the reversal from budget surplus to deficit—what explains the low poll numbers for Democrats?

NP: It's because we haven't gotten the job done. And one of the reasons we haven't is because of the requirement by the Senate Republicans to have 60 votes. I put it right there at their doorstep. And if that sounds partisan, so be it. Requiring 60 votes—an extraordinary majority—on every issue that comes up, that really says, "We are going to delay." They have been very clear that they don't want anything to happen. Now, we—and particularly I, as speaker—have a responsibility to find our common ground. To look for it, to strive for it, to reach out for it. But when we don't find that common ground, we have to stand our ground and focus on why we came here. Or else why are we here, to make nice-nice to each other to make people think that we're cooperating with each other? I mean, there are big differences between our two parties in terms of who has the leverage—is it working families in our country or is it the "haves"?

DB: I read recently that you were finding common ground with Tea Partiers over a mutual distaste for special interest in Washington. How would you describe the tone and relationship between elected officials and lobbyists right now in Washington?

NP: The forces of the status quo in Washington operate in a couple of different ways. And any day that [special interest groups] can keep the status quo is money in their pocket. One tactic is to delay. That's a big operating principle for them and that's what they have tried to do with healthcare. So what we have said to them is, "Hey, public advocacy is an important part of our democracy, and people are welcome to come and make their voices heard. But when undue money weighs into the political and governmental process—there are millions and millions of dollars being lobbied to keep the status quo when it comes to health, pharmaceuticals, insurance, energy and the rest—we have to change that." Because that is not in the public's interest. That is in the special interest. The fact is, they've had it their way for a very long time and that has to change because the American people are not well served by that..

DB: What are your hopes for the future of America?

NP: My hope is that it will be a place where our children can reach their fulfillment. And they can't do that unless every child in America has the same opportunity. When I say our children, I mean all of our children. Those of us who can provide all the support and love and care for our children do them no favor by having them grow up in an atmosphere where other children are deprived of opportunity. So my goal for the 21st century is that all children and their families have the opportunity to participate in the greatness and the prosperity of America.

DB: How do you unwind after a busy week?

NP: I go to church wherever I can, as that's really important to me. That is a real renewal for me each week. On a daily basis, I indulge in a very dark chocolate candy and the New York Times crossword puzzle—an absolute must—and I read. Right now I'm reading a book about Frances Perkins, the woman behind The New Deal. The first female Cabinet member. It's just fascinating.

DB: What's on your bucket list?

NP: Oh, I'm not ready to die! [Laughs] But I would love to go to Tibet. And… first I just wanted to see my grandchildren, and now that one of them has turned 13, I say I would like to see them go to college. And anything with my dear, sweet husband. Anything he wants to do.

DB: Do you have an iPod?

NP: Oh, yes.

DB: Tell me what you're listening to. Your favorites.

NP: I'm big on U2. I have eclectic musical tastes, from the classics to rock. I usually like to keep away from the music of my children so that they don't feel like I'm intruding. But what do we have? My children, my grandchildren and us, all going to the same concerts.

Interview Copyright Capitol File Magazine.
Soucre, click here.

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Ratings For The Week Of May 17th

1 - Based on four nights of regular programming.

Rating calculations are weekly averages based on nightly ratings provided by TVNewser with data by Nielsen Media Research. Numbers reflect Live and same day (DVR) data.

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Big time politicos join Gig Harbor company

Two of the country’s leading media heavyweights – Democrat James Carville and Republican Frank Luntz – have joined Gig Harbor-based Vote iQ, the nation’s first major social networking site expressly designed for politics.

The two political and media luminaries will help the nonpartisan technology company bring a new level of interaction between the elected and the electorate.

Vote iQ, which will debut in early June, gives voters a one-stop site to find out where candidates stand on the issues. Until now, the political system has been designed for the benefit of politicians. Vote iQ reverses the equation, placing the interests of voters first.

James Carville, who appears regularly on CNN’s Situation Room and other news programs, began building his reputation as a brilliant campaign strategist in the mid-1980s. His leading role in Clinton’s winning campaign of 1992 was documented in the Academy Award–nominated film, The War Room. He currently is a professor of politics at Tulane University.

For full article,click here.

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Don Lemon at Brooklyn College Commencement

CNN's Don Lemon and novelist Sapphire are scheduled to be the commencement speakers at Brooklyn College in Brooklyn, New York.
Sapphire, ’97, whose novel Push served as an inspiration for the movie Precious, one of this year’s Oscar nominees, will speak at the Master’s ceremony on May 26 in Whitman Auditorium, in the first-ever indoor ceremony in the College’s history. The next morning, Don Lemon, ’96, an Emmy Award–winning journalist who anchors the weekend CNN Newsroom, will address the baccalaureates on the Central Quadrangle. Both will receive Distinguished Alumni Honors. For more information follow the link.






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