It’s mostly Michael — all the Wednesday clips, just because I can! — and also the clip of Peter Bergen on 360 last night. (It would appear that Peter is wearing a new wedding ring…? To see it more clearly, try this link.)
We’re also running an unofficial campaign to get Tommy on BackStory. If you’d like to help, please email and/or tweet the show and “suggest” it! Come on, we need to get Tommy some more screentime!
Still no news as to what Michael is up to these days or whether he’ll be heading back to Baghdad now that the election is over. Maxie, if Jon Klein has decided it’s all-economy-all-the-time, it seems to me that the war may or may not get some more airtime, since that’s really what has tanked our economy. Time will tell… but wouldn’t a panel discussion with Michael and Ali Velshi be a trip? The place would be ROCKING!
10 responses so far ↓
mwmcfan // November 8, 2008 at 6:14 pm |
Thank you Cyn for the handy email link. I just emailed BackStory asking for a show with Tommy talking about what is going on at the bureau now.
After viewing the Peter link I would say that is a new wedding ring on his finger. I wish him and his new wife congratulations and best wishes!
Maxie, I’ll go nuts if cnn is going from politics to economy 24/7. I guess I’ll just have to keep watching BBC news and checking out Cyn’s site’s and blogs for the summary of the best on cnn. I really don’t know how you do it Cyn, day in and day out reviewing all the footage. Hopefully sometime in the near future cnn will go back to covering issues outside the U.S. in greater depth.
cyn // November 8, 2008 at 7:08 pm |
I’m still trying to figure out a way to get International… and a couple more TiVos! I’d be able to put a lot more Int clips up on ATC, too!
Ah well. I wasn’t having any luck finding a new job BEFORE the economy imploded, so now it’s just pathetic. I am so ready to pack up and move elsewhere…. except I’m not sure there’s any ‘elsewhere’ that’s any better. Oh, and it takes money to move, too! Argh.
It’s so strange: I feel like if I can just keep my head above water until January 20th, things will get better. Which is dumb. We will all heave a HUGE sigh of relief that day, but it won’t actually change my life. Unfortunately. It just seems like Anything Is Possible now.
maxie1218 // November 8, 2008 at 7:22 pm |
Thank you Cyn for the PB clip…I missed AC360 last night, so that was quite a treat for me..I have to say, if I wanted more information about the economy, I would NOT turn to CNN, I would turn to CNBC…Also, if the only reporting we get about Iraq is in the context of how our economy is driving the pullout of troops, I am going to go crazy.
Fred Kaplan has an interesting piece in Slate about the six foreign-policy priorities for President Obama. One of them is to get out of Iraq. He fails to address the Iranian issue, but nonetheless, it is an intriguing argument:
“Get out of Iraq. The Iraqis have done you a favor by insisting that a new Status of Forces Agreement include a timetable for withdrawal. Take the deal. If it turns out they were bluffing and don’t really want us to go, demand dramatic, substantive progress on political unity, provincial elections, division of oil revenues, and all the other issues on which the Iraqis have yet to budge. Nobody’s talking about pulling out all U.S. troops (unless, again, the Iraqis kick them out). Use the troops that remain as leverage. Bush had a decent idea when he set “benchmarks” for the Iraqi government to meet. The problem was that he didn’t enforce them—he neither rewarded the Iraqis for meeting certain deadlines nor punished them for failing to hit many others. Revive the idea with sticks and carrots. The whole point of the “surge”—and of any continued U.S. military presence—was, and is, to create the conditions for achieving political objectives: a stable, self-sustaining, democratic Iraq. Set benchmarks toward that goal. If the Iraqis don’t meet them, withdraw another two or three brigades; if they do meet them, keep the brigades there a little longer, if they’re wanted, to help solidify the progress. The more targets the Iraqis meet, the more stable the country will become and the less they’ll need us in the long run.”
delie // November 9, 2008 at 3:08 am |
Thanks for the clip with Peter Bergen. I also missed AC 360 Friday.
I am already used to send emails or Twitter to BackStory. They seem to really care about what the viewers would like to get. Hopefully, they will hear us about Tommy!
Do you have any clue about what could be the next CNN schedule, without all these politic shows? I read there are going to have big changes on CNN International too, in the coming months. It could be good thing… It could be disappointing… I don’t know if “Amanpour Reports” is going to be a regular show, weekly or monthly, but after FZ GPS and BkS, it’s another CNN Int’s “pearl”.
cyn // November 9, 2008 at 6:59 am |
We really haven’t heard that there will be anything new on Domestic. The evening lineup seems to be solid, and they just reshuffled NewsRoom, so that seems set. Wolf ain’t going anywhere, for sure. So I don’t think we’ll see changes.
Oh, I asked someone in my company’s marketing department what the odds are that we would ever offer International in our lineup; she says she never gets requests for it. *sigh*
mavis // November 9, 2008 at 8:10 am |
It’s too early on Sunday morning to make a
sensible statement other than….
I really wish they would do a Back Story on Tommy. I know all of us (especially Jodi) would have their eyes glued to the television.
Also, it’s never too early to say “CYN ROCKS!”
jodi54 // November 9, 2008 at 1:13 pm |
Congratulations to all America … and, I think, the World. I truly believe a new age has begun. Like Cynthia, I feel that somehow now anything seems possible. Probably too unfair to lay on the new Prez – with all the problems he has before him. I am just riding high on the idea that he will be our President. (And how cool is it of Tommy to lead the way by having HIS new post of responsibility? LOL)
Thanks for the Slate/Kaplan link …. in fact, thanks to all you generous monkeys for your links and referrals. I’ve been kinda MIA …. the RL again, so I am truly helped by your input.
Cynthia. I won’t say much about this topic because I know you won’t post it. BUT …. if ever there was a human being whose abilities were wasted in their work – it’s you. The politics of your company have a strangle-hold on you. What can I do to help you get out of that hell hole?
Is there any doubt that I will join you all to campaign for more Tommy-time? Was there ever going to be a question about it? I didn’t witness Michael’s evolution … only came to know him in the last 2 years or so. But here we are at ringside, eyes cast at Tommy.
Okay, let me slide a little towards the dramatic here. Tommy is/was Michael’s producer. What better credential can there be than that? And I’ve decided to take his new position as a part of the new “Obama trend” (or maybe Obama is part of the new “Tommy trend”). That is – our best and our brightest to leadership positions. The diametric opposite to the Bush “you’re-doin’-a-heck-of-a-job-Brownie” trend.
(Wonder if there’s an opening in the Baghdad bureau for Cynthia? She’s as smart and dedicated as they come … and I think she needs a new line of work …. hmm? How do I get in touch with the Iraq Bureau Chief? LOL)
Of course, congrats to Peter Bergen.
mavis // November 9, 2008 at 5:46 pm |
OK. Here it goes.
In the small southern town I was raised in, gossip reigns as the very soul of the community. I can no longer fight the heavy urges of my upbringing. With that said, I ask WHO THE HELL DID PETER BERGEN MARRY?!?!?”
cnngirl // November 10, 2008 at 10:32 am |
I haven’t been here in ages (sorry but not a whole lot to read if Michael’s not around to explain the craziness that is the rest of the world and completely agree with all you Tommy fans). While Peter’s mystery ring is of course interesting the far more pertinent question to me is: what sane woman let him out of the house in that red/black outfit?!
cyn // November 11, 2008 at 1:05 am |
All right… here’s my email to BackStory:
Dear Mr. Holmes and all the BackStory crew:
I don’t get CNN International where I live, but thankfully I have a friend in Paris who is keeping me supplied with clips of your excellent show.
You’ve been asking what we want to see. Well, despite the fact that I can’t help your ratings any, I would still like to request that we see some more behind-the-scenes stuff from the incredible crews in Baghdad. They have been doing such amazing work for the past several years, and rarely get to relax and have fun on camera.
We learned during the Rugby World Cup coverage last year that in addition to being crazy/brave, Michael Ware has a wicked sense of humor. So I have to wonder… what about Tommy Evans? What does he do to keep from going bonkers in an insane world? He’s gone in front of the cameras once, so maybe you can coax him out of the shadows again?
By the way, I enjoyed last week’s riff about reporters carrying the tripod. I’ve noticed the trend, too — I even did a bit on ATA about it.*
But here’s my question — I know a typical team in, say, Iraq has three people: reporter, cameraman, and producer. We’ve already established that the reporter is carrying the tripod. The cameraman obviously is lugging the camera. So what is the producer carrying?? (And cell phones do not count!) Or is he/she like Management — just making sure everyone else does their job?
So: two birds with one stone, get Tommy to tell us what his job is really all about. Okay, maybe not ALL about; I’m sure there are things about which he is sworn to secrecy. After all, he’s worked with the crazy Aussie for the past two years now; just imagine the stories he could tell!
Best,
Cynthia
*http://www.allthingsandersoncooper.com/2007/12/shuttles-and-tripods-and-leads-oh-my.html
I do believe I have thrown down a gauntlet, even if by proxy!