Atlanta, GA — The popular 24-hour news network CNN is coming under fire after a report purportedly to be in front of the White House was actually in front of a “green screen” in the Atlanta, Georgia headquarters. Adding to the news service’s troubles, the default White House footage was replaced by an adult video. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has been called in to investigate possible hacker involvement.
CNN’s White House correspondent Michelle Kosinski had just gone live with a breaking story about American troop deployments in Syria, and 30 seconds into her report, the screen went blank and what now appears to be a green screen background was split in half, one side depicting an adult film scene, and the other with the default White House stock footage.
“We’re looking into this and treating like a terrorist event,” said FBI Chief Investigator Bane Williamson. “We suspect the hacker group Anonymous, but frankly we haven’t heard from them in almost a year, so we’re suspicious. It also could be the Russians. So whoever did this, was trying to make a statement about American media. We don’t find it funny, nor does the leadership at CNN.”
For years now, media critics have criticized mainstream media for something social scientists call “propaganda sourcing.” Sourcing is a production tactic used by larger media outlets where correspondents are “stationed” at well-known and recognized news sources, like the White House or 10 downing Street. This creates the illusion that reporters are out on beats, when in actuality they’re just repeating crafted boilerplate in what appears to be familiar places.
Media conglomerates bristle at the criticism by saying it’s too expensive to have reporters “anywhere but where the news is.” In more recent years, due to declining revenue, some has suspected that most on-location reports aren’t even on location, and this recent “hack” seems to support what was once though as a fringe conspiracy theory.
CNN had no comment on the incident and referred the press to the FBI.