The Examiner's Rich Shumate: "As the story was breaking, CNN used her only for some brief phone reports, and, as the zero hour approached, actually punted on its own coverage and begin airing a direct feed of KHON, Honolulu’s Fox network affiliate."
"Both the Fox News Channel and MSNBC were using video from the local Hawaii stations, but their own anchors remained on the air, conducting interviews and providing their own information. By contrast, CNN – the only network with one of its own reporters at the scene -- took the lazy approach of rebroadcasting KHON for long stretches of time, breaking in periodically with its own Atlanta-based coverage."
"What made CNN’s choice even more bizarre was that with its superior international reach (including a co-branded affiliate in Santiago, CNN Chile), the network could have juggled the tsunami story with coverage of the earthquake’s aftermath in a way none of its competitors could have matched. Instead, as the waves came in, CNN largely outsourced the job of informing its viewers to KHON."
"(A side note: Last week, CNN similarly punted to a local affiliate during breaking news coverage of the suicide plane attack on an IRS facility in Austin, Texas. Let’s hope this isn’t a sign that The Most Trusted Name in News is becoming The Most Shameless Name in Simulcasting.)"
