CNN Special Report: Death Grip

[W?Y]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3Hma-r8MyU Part 1
www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoWZJ4erPHc Part 2
www.youtube.com/watch?v=p84zpcoXVSc Part 3
www.youtube.com/watch?v=tPjZl-vsgGw Part 4
www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw3-qR_mBo8 Part 5
www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ZUe_62u57E Part 6

I don't know about you guys, but I found this whole documentary to be insulting as a wrestling fan. The fact that they would pounce on this whole scandal entirely just to make a buck makes me ashamed of CNN.

What do you think?

[MCMGM]

There was/is a thread about this in WWE Current. I didn't think it was as bad as it COULD have been.

[Chainsaw]

It could have been much worse, but they exposed themselves for what they wanted out of the report by editing Cena's comments out of context.

I'm glad they got busted for that. I'm just surprised that there isn't more rabble-rousing over it.

[hollywood]

If I remember, reporters did something similar to Mick Foley back when backyard wrestling was getting popular (popular being a relative term of course), and they completely edited his comments to make him seem in favor of the whole thing when, in fact, he was completely opposed to it.

[Celgress]

rootbeerworldorder said:

I don't know about you guys, but I found this whole documentary to be insulting as a wrestling fan. The fact that they would pounce on this whole scandal entirely just to make a buck makes me ashamed of CNN.

What do you think?

I find most of what CNN broadcasts to be insulting as a human being, little own as a wrestling fan.

Seriously I take Political Science for one of my majors, as such I can tell you CNN often slants their stories one way or the other. This usually occurs in the context of over seas news stories in which one or more of the parties involved are in general disapproved of by the company, and/or most Western Nations. In addition they sometimes slant the presentation of stories for another reason (usually domestic in this case), because they need a more sensationalized story to generate ratings, so they basically create one. These are well known facts within the news industry. They are far from fair and unbiased as they claim.

[HMARK Center]

I'll leave this here, since a lot of different people post in this section than post in the WWE section, so maybe this can be the (w)rest's official take on the show.

Anyway, I don't know about the Cena comments (did seem like they could have easily done an edit over him), but the vast majority of the show was pretty objective. Yeah, there were the occasional scary still photos of Vince or something, but, by and large, they covered a lot.

Also, not to turn this into a thread about network news, but let's not pretend only CNN shows bias; every single broadcast news network is owned by some interest that demands ratings over information, so it's a sad reality we just have to live with, no matter which channel is reporting. It is what it is, and let's leave it at that.

[MCMGM]

For those who didn't know, Cena was edited and there is a thread with the whole vid in Current.

Yeah, that's right, Cena got Homer'd.

[kickassforumguyme]

Thanks for the links, I was on a road trip when they were showing this.

[Celgress]

shannonfans said:

For those who didn't know, Cena was edited and there is a thread with the whole vid in Current.

Yeah, that's right, Cena got Homer'd.

That is what I was talking about, thanks.

[Celgress]

www.youtube.com/watch?v=58EGoBDdXZw

Here it is, the unedited version, for those interested.

[MCMGM]

^^

Tonight a very special CNN: Cena Bad Man

[kingoftheindies]

yeah listening to Cena's unedited version really makes CNN look bush league. It wasn't a horrible documentary, but the way the treated Cena like that is classless

[Bocuma]

hollywood said:

If I remember, reporters did something similar to Mick Foley back when backyard wrestling was getting popular (popular being a relative term of course), and they completely edited his comments to make him seem in favor of the whole thing when, in fact, he was completely opposed to it.

I remember that, too. I *think* it was MSNBC that did that story. It was funny, because at the time, my friends and I were about to start a backyard fed ourselves (give us a break, we were 15), and by the time the ring was done, just pretty much gave up and came to the conclusion it was a bad idea. I was confused when I saw my idol at the time, Foley, come off as saying it was a good thing. That may have been my first view of slanted journalism.

As for "Death Grip" (Jesus...), it was horribly slanted, but yeah, it could have been A LOT worse. I love how they show Owen but don't mention how he died, and how Benoit writing to Eddie was somehow "psychotic." It's called coping, people.

[thestinger]

hitmanmark said:

Also, not to turn this into a thread about network news, but let's not pretend only CNN shows bias; every single broadcast news network is owned by some interest that demands ratings over information, so it's a sad reality we just have to live with, no matter which channel is reporting. It is what it is, and let's leave it at that.

Last week I said the exact same thing and you basically told me to stfu. I agree with your point, that's why I made it first but ... what's the deal?

[hollywood]

My biggest problem with this is the glaring errors that people have already mentioned--miscounting the number offenses allowed, focusing on Benoit's big bad flying headbutt, etc. I also take issue with the allegation this piece seems to make that pro wrestling turns good men into monsters. There are too many successful performers out there--including many in this piece--that never became monsters to make such a bold and general claim.

However, you'll be hard-pressed to find a bigger proponent for stricter regulations on the wrestling industry (and not just WWE) than me. If some unfair criticisms are levelled against wrestling and help bring about positive change, then I guess I'm fine with it--although, I'd certainly rather achieve those changes as honestly as possible.

[thestinger]

In this situation the line between honesty and dishonesty is kind of weird.

A few weeks after the Benoit killings I had outraged friends telling me, "All the media is focusing on is how steroids can make a person more aggressive and how WWE looks the other way!"

And I kept responding, "But steroid use CAN make a person more aggressive and WWE DOES look the other way! That has nothing to do with Chris Benoit, but it's still true!"

Honesty after the media made a huge deal about steroids in professional baseball and professional football, it was inevitable that they would get around to reporting about steroids in pro wrestling. Any wrestler committing any violent crime was going to get the ball rolling.

[JMA]

I'm a little conflicted here. On the one hand, what CNN did was inexcusable. On the other hand, I'm not going to pretend that WWE hasn't done similarly classless and dishonest acts (claiming testosterone isn't a steroid being just one of them).

In this case, I have to accept that both sides are liars.

[The Summer of Muskrat XVII]

I actually felt the show was relativly well done (Cena quote and show title aside) I thought the interviews with the McMahons were good, as he didn't really get arrogent and ignorant with it. It was more of a "Do you believe..." not "This is how it is, what do you have to say" Dynamite and his wife were definatly two of the wrong people to interview tho, as they are both bats*** crazy. The the exception, not the rule. As for the diary just being coping, it would have been if he hadn't also described the death of half his and his wifes family in it. That shows severe depression, and possibly paranoia. That not healthy coping.

Oh, and as for the Foley interview you guys were talking about, it was on 20/20 in late 1999

[MCMGM]

But you guys, you are missing the point here.

We need to figure out who the Shadow was! It coulda been HHH under there!