John Cena's unedited CNN interview

[Deleted]

This isn't excusing CNN cause they screwed Cena over royally however Cena gave them that quote on a platter. Cena firstly said "Absolutely Not" and when she said even in the past? he coulda just said "Absolutely Not" and then went on to talk about what he did but to come out with that quote and to expect the media to use it in the context they did is really expecting better of them

[Ace Diamond]

cyclonechyno said:

This isn't excusing CNN cause they screwed Cena over royally however Cena gave them that quote on a platter. Cena firstly said "Absolutely Not" and when she said even in the past? he coulda just said "Absolutely Not" and then went on to talk about what he did but to come out with that quote and to expect the media to use it in the context they did is really expecting better of them

Oh yes, lets blame somebody for thinking that the First Amendment would protect him from libel and slander. How silly of John Cena. How very very silly.

[MadLinus]

I think WWE knew this was going to happen, so they fed Cena some lines to say during the interview. Think about it, if Cena had never really done steroids, especially after stating initially in the same interview that he had "never" taken them, why in the hell would he follow that up with "I can't say that I haven't, you'll never be able to prove that I have." Those two statements are completely opposite of each other. Besides, there were WAY better ways for Cena to paraphrase what he believes is wrong with the media's steroid obsession, so it seems to me that Cena was totally giving CNN a line right there, and they bought it hook, line, and sinker.

Vince McMahon did this because he knows that the media will edit his wrestlers clips. He's seen it done time and time again. So why not give the media exactly what they want, while at the same time showcasing a video where Cena clearly and concisely denies ever taking steroids. That way he can attack CNN's journalistic integrity and highlight how they edit clips together for better ratings. It also makes Vince look less like the evil businessman and more like a guy who is just trying to prove his innocence in the whole ordeal. It really does make perfect sense if you think about it.

[Deleted]

aodpilot said:

cyclonechyno said:

This isn't excusing CNN cause they screwed Cena over royally however Cena gave them that quote on a platter. Cena firstly said "Absolutely Not" and when she said even in the past? he coulda just said "Absolutely Not" and then went on to talk about what he did but to come out with that quote and to expect the media to use it in the context they did is really expecting better of them

Oh yes, lets blame somebody for thinking that the First Amendment would protect him from libel and slander. How silly of John Cena. How very very silly.

Nice attitude and ignorance of my point which was that the media is slime and that they will do anything for a good story

And also, as has been pointed out this exact thing happen with Foley several years ago, so the WWE knows that the american constituion doesn't apply in cases like this

But hey why bother with discussions, facts & history when a sarcastic smiley will do instead

[macdaddysquid]

I dont think they really took it out of context he still said the contoversial line

[Red Impact]

macdaddysquid said:

I dont think they really took it out of context he still said the contoversial line

It's a big no-no in journalism to take a statement that requires a lot of context print it without that context. It's equivalent to misquoting someone and, in the most severe cases, can lead to a lawsuit.

Yeah, he said it, but he said a lot before it that led to the understanding of the statement. They removed that.

[azz0r]

CNN is terrible.

[GaTechGrad]

I think CNN did a good job of editing out all of the "fluff" and only airing the important points. My opinion really didn't change after watching the unedited video.

The WWE needs to realize that probably not many people watched the CNN program in the first place. However, by continually whining and pouting over Cena's interview, they are just bringing attention to the fact that Cena said that "I can't say that I haven't [taken steroids], but you will never be able to prove that I have." Nobody even really noticed until the WWE blew the issue out of proportion.

For some reason, I think the WWE just wants to recreate the Ric Flair / Macho Man feud, where Flair "doctored" images of himself with Elizabeth.

[azz0r]

I don't see the WWE whining and pouting about it all, a rather misleading quote was edited for extra shock value.

They have every right to show how cheap and poorly made the show was. You could tell it was a smear campaign from the start anyway.

[mikedh]

Of course Cena probably used steriods before. But he has never tested positive or been in any situation before that would make him a suspect. He has every right to say he has never used them and not have to go through with this.

Cena should sue for defamation of character. The man has many fans that are kids and CNN editing a video to make it look like he is a drug user is slander.

That sucks for Cena, he is probably the best PR guy in a long time other than Foley and then CNN does this.

[JMA]

They added the "absolutely not" back into the interview (I watched the replay tonight).

[twiggy101]

jma said:

They added the "absolutely not" back into the interview (I watched the replay tonight).

That's right. They better add that back.

[MGH]

CNN ALTERS CONTROVERSIAL JOHN CENA COMMENTS WWE ALLEGED WERE USED OUT OF CONTEXT IN DOCUMENTARY
by Mike Johnson @ 11:14:37 PM on 11/11/2007

After World Wrestling Entertainment posted video on their website showing that CNN had inaccurately used John Cena's comments in response to being asked about steroid use, CNN edited their "Death Grip: Inside Wrestling" documentary during its third airing this evening.

Adam Lebow sent the following....I wanted to pass along that I was just watching the CNN special Death Grip, and it appears as if they have gone and edited the special to include Cena now responding to the question if he did take roids, saying 'Absolutely Not'. It was a 5 second edit of the show, with the rest of Cena segment airing as it did on its first run. I saw the special last night (Saturday) and this edit was not there.

Mike Brown sent the following.....Thought you'd be interested. I watched the CNN/John Cena footage online prior to watching the Sunday night re-airing of the "Death Grip" special. CNN did some quick re-editing. Cena now starts with the assertion that he has never used steriods. The picture then fades into the interview as it originally aired.

[mrwednesdaynight]

I'm sure CNN or the public at large isn't concerned with this incident but they should be. I'm sure a bunch of illiterate, inbred rasslin fans angry that they made one of our own look bad isn't cause for the FCC to pull CNN's license. The thing I would like to ask those who don't think its a big deal that they made, through the power of editting, John Cena say things he didn't say, if CNN is willing to do this to something as trival as Pro Wrestling, which everyone knows if fake, then would CNN be willing to do the same thing to more serious issues? Is this common practice at CNN? There should be outrage and investigations into CNN and their journalistic practices. Even if they made a correction in the rerun, something made them edit John Cena into saying what they wanted him to say to back up their story. And if you read any of Mick Foley's books, you know that this isn't new for the media. They cut up an interview he had to make it sound like he supported backyard wrestling. So at the end of the day, what worries me is how many people will never know CNN did this to Cena and have no idea how news is twisted to support a certain point of view. I'm concerned that if practices like this go unchalleged, the future will be bleak.

[normcoleman]

I'm not surprised.

I lost my respect for CNN in 2000.

[Mr Captain Falcon]

Does anyone else remember reading in "Foley is Good" about Mick Foley on a talk show about backyard wrestling and how he said that normal backyard wrestling looked fun, and then hardcore backyard wrestling looked too violent and he said for them to not try it. HOWEVER when it aired, he claimed that the hardcore backyard wrestling looked fun.

Sw swe sweet can!

[nerdinitupagain]

I remember Casino has a great example about how reporters do this when the reporter is interviewing DeNiro about his job in the company and he's trying his best to say he's not the boss lol.

[Ijob2HHH]

Okay, so they've completed part 1 of 2 of 'How media avoids lawsuits'. They changed the material to reflect the truth. However, they're still not technically out of the woods as they still would have to publically apologize. Without that, WWE could prove malice and that's an instant swish for any slander suit.

[Asics Johnson]

Seems to me like this is the gist of what he said....

"No, I did not do steroids..... blah blah blah.... I just lied to you, by the way."

Why would he say absolutely not, and then follow up with you can't prove it? It screams guilt.







..... but, there again, Barry Bonds is my favorite baseball player. What the hell do I care about steroids?