Is Faster Better? Or is it Just Faster?
After last night’s news about Michael Jackson’s passing, everyone is once again praising the speed of the internet, blogs, and Twitter for trumping traditional media in delivering the news. Gossip site TMZ broke the news and it swirled around Twitter for hours before CNN would even confirm the story themselves. But was this another example of #CNNFail? I don’t think so. Here’s why:
You see, I actually watched the CNN coverage and it was good. They had the first interview with Jackson family spokesperson Brian Oxman who had just been inside UCLA Medical Center to see the family. He told the CNN reporter which family members were there, that they were crying, and who was still on their way to the hospital. In his emotional state, he railed against the people surrounding MJ during his life, calling them a bunch of enablers that supported Jackson’s prescription drug habit - even comparing Jackson’s issues to those of Anna Nicole Smith. His outrage seemed to confirm what rumor-mongers had been suspecting for years: a drug problem. Who knows what we’ll learn as this story continues to unfold.
CNN then paraded in a bunch of people whose commentary was compelling, including editors for Spin, EW, music historians, record producers, and more. Off the top of my head, I don’t remember exact names, but it sure beat my local news coverage where they were hanging around a record store, that’s for sure.
It also was a lot more interesting that watching a million “RIP MJ” tweets stream by.
Incidentally, one of the guests CNN had drop in was a news producer from TMZ who was explaining how they had reported that MJ had suffered from cardiac arrest and was given CPR on the way to the hospital but was unable to be revived. He said that Michael had no pulse and had died. (The TMZ story is here). That seemed to conflict with other reports (including CNN’s at the time) that MJ had lapsed into a coma but wasn’t pronounced dead until arriving at the hospital. It may have been an accurate report in the end, but did TMZ really know? Apparently, physicians attempted to resuscitate MJ for an hour at the hospital before officially pronouncing his death. Had the doctors been successful, TMZ would have had some serious retractions to make. A lot of people suspected that TMZ even hedged their bets and reported MJ was dead before actually having any sources to prove it. I wouldn’t doubt this was the case. They had the news and they wanted the pageviews. (Reminds you a lot of the tech world, doesn’t it?)
I’ll give TMZ credit for breaking this story (and for their ongoing footage, to be honest) but when I was ready for some “real” news coverage, I still turned to CNN and occasionally flipped through the other cable news channels, too. There’s something to be said for the old media style, especially when you’re dealing with a situation that deserves a little respect and contemplation.
Now I don’t mind getting my news fast – I often prefer it, actually. And I’ll agree that we need fast. However, sometimes old media is just a better fit. I mean, this wasn’t just another sighting of some celebrity at a club, this was something that mattered…and TMZ’s site felt a little too sleazy for me. Yesterday, I wanted some good ol’ fashioned CNN.
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