The Cable News Network, or CNN as it is colloquially known is an American cable and satellite news channel owned by the Turner Broadcasting System. Founded in 1980, the network is known for being the first ever 24-hour news channel. CNN has centers in New York City, Washington D.C. and Los Angeles, but primarily broadcasts from its headquarters in Atlanta, Georgia. CNN also has an international affiliate CNN International which broadcasts in over 200 countries. CNN reaches viewers in over 100 million households in the United States as well as an additional million viewers in Canada as of 2010.
cnn.com
While trying to portray itself as the middle of the road network between partisan outlets MSNBC and Fox News of the left and right respectively, CNN has received criticism for “sensationalizing” its news coverage in order to compete in the ratings. This was apparent during the networks coverage of the disappearance of Malaysia Flight 370 in which anchors engaged in dramatic graphic simulations of potential flight patterns. CNN has also been criticized by Pulitzer Prize winning investigative journalist Glen Greenwald for ignoring the Bahrain leg of the Arab Spring protests in favor of coverage of countries in which the U.S. is more invested.
thinkprogress.org
CNN is said to have ushered in an era of decline of journalism standards due to its corporate ownership and the fiercely competitive nature of 24-hour news networks over audience share. In their book Warp Speed: America in the Age of Mixed Media, former journalists Bill Kovach and Tom Rosenstiel claim that CNN and other 24 hour news networks have moved the press towards valuing “entertainment and opinion” and away from traditional values like verification and relevance.
nydailynews.com
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