CNN reportedly claimed gunshots after hearing 'bang bang' on radio
By the time MSNBC had gotten around to covering it, the Coast Guard had told AP that no shots had actually been fired and that the story had grown out of a training exercise broadcast over radio frequencies.
While the other networks were beating the bushes to the story, MSNBC was broadcasting a four-hour repeat of their coverage on Sept. 11, 2001.
But that didn't stop the network from crowing about others bad judgment.
On his Twitter feed, NBC's Chuck Todd bemoaned CNN's spotty coverage (which didn't include any call to the Coast Guard about the story before they reported it).
"Not only were there no gunshots, CNN reports what they heard on the radio scanner was someone SAYING 'bang bang,' they didn't HEAR shots," Todd writes.
CNN has blamed the errant story on the Coast Guard. But they didn't, apparently, even call the Coast Guard before running the allegation.
Remarks Todd: "Weird to hear others blame the government for their own bad reporting."
A Coast Guard spokesman spoke with reporters Friday afternoon. "When they start this exercise, they first come on the radio, even though it's a Coast Guard working frequency, they announce 'This is a drill. This is an exercise.' they preclude all of their actions with that," he said.
Full disclosure: Raw Story briefly ran a banner headline carrying the Reuters report, then switched to the AP story including comment from the Coast Guard saying no shots had been fired.
This video is from CNN's Newroom, broadcast Sept. 11, 2009.
Download video via RawReplay.com
-John Byrne
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