Colorado Media Newsroom
March 18th, 2014, 03:18 AM
From The Denver Post:
“Where is flight 370?” the CNN graphic reads. “Did the pilot’s politics play a part?” “Next: Could the plane be a weapon?” The unsolved mystery continues. There’s an endless amount of time to fill on cable news networks and CNN is making the most of it (http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/140316234118-malaysia-search-c1-main.jpg), scrutinizing every shred of information, misinformation, rumor, conspiracy theory and even otherworldly possibility regarding the mystery of the missing Flight 370.
We’ve learned more than we wanted to know about radar and flying in stealth mode. We’ve heard the theories about how skilled a pilot would have to be to evade detection. As the days drag on and the potential routes, and possible scenarios unfold, the TV visuals show no sign of slowing.
“All of this is conjecture,” CNN’s Tom Foreman said while walking across the virtual map of the Pacific. It would need 4,000 ft. for landing, 6,000 ft. take off. What if it took the southern route? Maybe northern? All theories are on the table and Anderson Cooper has never looked more earnest (fatigued?) as he segues from talking to pilots to interviewing grief counselors.
All of this suits CNN, which finds ratings success on a gripping human story with a strong ongoing narrative and lots of data, timelines and angles. The ratings were up by 100 percent across primetime in the week since the plane went missing.
As conflicting theories mount, one aviation expert pinpointed the appeal of the story: “I think the most fascinating aspect of this story now is that it’s become * transcendent. And by that, I mean, it’s no longer a story about an airplane crash; it’s a mystery story,” Patrick Smith, an airline pilot, blogger and author, told CNN’s “Piers Morgan Live.”
Once more, from the top, what we know so far*”Are we back to square one?” Bill Weir asked on Monday night. The answer from aviation experts was yes.
More... (http://blogs.denverpost.com/ostrow/2014/03/17/cnn-takes-flight-missing-airliner-story/18190/)
“Where is flight 370?” the CNN graphic reads. “Did the pilot’s politics play a part?” “Next: Could the plane be a weapon?” The unsolved mystery continues. There’s an endless amount of time to fill on cable news networks and CNN is making the most of it (http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/dam/assets/140316234118-malaysia-search-c1-main.jpg), scrutinizing every shred of information, misinformation, rumor, conspiracy theory and even otherworldly possibility regarding the mystery of the missing Flight 370.
We’ve learned more than we wanted to know about radar and flying in stealth mode. We’ve heard the theories about how skilled a pilot would have to be to evade detection. As the days drag on and the potential routes, and possible scenarios unfold, the TV visuals show no sign of slowing.
“All of this is conjecture,” CNN’s Tom Foreman said while walking across the virtual map of the Pacific. It would need 4,000 ft. for landing, 6,000 ft. take off. What if it took the southern route? Maybe northern? All theories are on the table and Anderson Cooper has never looked more earnest (fatigued?) as he segues from talking to pilots to interviewing grief counselors.
All of this suits CNN, which finds ratings success on a gripping human story with a strong ongoing narrative and lots of data, timelines and angles. The ratings were up by 100 percent across primetime in the week since the plane went missing.
As conflicting theories mount, one aviation expert pinpointed the appeal of the story: “I think the most fascinating aspect of this story now is that it’s become * transcendent. And by that, I mean, it’s no longer a story about an airplane crash; it’s a mystery story,” Patrick Smith, an airline pilot, blogger and author, told CNN’s “Piers Morgan Live.”
Once more, from the top, what we know so far*”Are we back to square one?” Bill Weir asked on Monday night. The answer from aviation experts was yes.
More... (http://blogs.denverpost.com/ostrow/2014/03/17/cnn-takes-flight-missing-airliner-story/18190/)