CNN Used Slain U.S. Libya Envoy’s Personal Journal Against Family’s Wishes: WSJ

UPDATE: CNN used information from the personal handwritten journal of the slain U.S. ambassador to Libya in newscasts against his family’s wishes — and without disclosing it to viewers. The Wall Street Journal reported today that relatives of Ambassador Christopher Stevens asked the State Department to intervene. CNN said it found the journal inside the U.S. consulate in Libya four days after the September 11 attack that killed the ambassador and three other Americans. CNN said it had notified Stevens’ family at once and arranged to give them the journal. State Department officials said CNN’s actions were “disgusting.” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s senior adviser Philippe Reines scoffed that it was “not a proud moment in CNN’s history”. In response to the criticism CNN issued a statement late Saturday that the network did not initially report on the existence of a journal “out of respect for the family, but we felt there were issues raised in the journal which required full reporting.”

CNN host Anderson Cooper admitted Friday on his show (see video below) that the network on Wednesday broadcast reports based on Stevens’ journal without revealing the source. Last night Cooper disclosed to his viewers what CNN had done but did not include that it was against the family wishes. Here is a clip from Anderson’s Friday broadcast:

Related: Pakistani Official Offers $100K For Death Of Maker Of Anti-Islamic Film

Comments (16)

  • I hate CNN and I hate Fox News. I think they both slant every story to meet their respective political agendas. That being said, if Fox had done this, I would be willing to wager that 95% of the people who use this website would be up in arms.

    Comment by Art Vandelay — Saturday September 22, 2012 @ 5:57pm PDT  Reply to this post
    • Seriously, dude? Have you, you know, actually *read* the comments on any even mildly political story Nikki posts? The Drudgebots come out in force.

      Conservatives and their bizarre persecution complex.

      Comment by Alex — Sunday September 23, 2012 @ 6:53am PDT  Reply to this post
    • No, I’ve long ceased being outraged at anything Fixed News does, so it would elicit the same eyeroll that CNNs’ current actions do. Truth be told, all cable news is awful for various reasons. I don’t watch any of it myself. Sad to say, there are many blogs that actually do the objective factual reporting that you just can’t get from TV news.

      Comment by TJ — Sunday September 23, 2012 @ 8:55am PDT  Reply to this post
  • How can anyone trust CNN anymore and they wonder why their ratings are tanking as bad as they are in primetime? They’re a joke!

    Comment by Jed — Saturday September 22, 2012 @ 5:58pm PDT  Reply to this post
  • Somebody who works at CNN needs to steal Anderson Cooper’s private diary or his journal or hack into his personal email account and then leak everything private about AC to Gawker.com it’s the only way to teach AC a lesson. Expose his most private thoughts for the public’s right to know.

    Comment by Screw CNN — Saturday September 22, 2012 @ 7:15pm PDT  Reply to this post
  • “I hate CNN and I hate Fox News. I think they both slant every story to meet their respective political agendas. That being said, if Fox had done this, I would be willing to wager that 95% of the people who use this website would be up in arms.”

    Comment by Art Vandelay

    Are you serious? and MSNBC doesnt slant to appease their audience?

    Comment by InthenameofART — Saturday September 22, 2012 @ 8:55pm PDT  Reply to this post
    • I’m sorry. I should have thrown in MSNBC but I forget about those little guys sometimes. Personally, I get my news from the CATO Institute and Deadline ;)

      Comment by Art Vandelay — Sunday September 23, 2012 @ 8:03am PDT  Reply to this post
  • this was the LAST straw. Wont ever watch CNN again. Never ever again.

    Comment by Former CNN viewer — Saturday September 22, 2012 @ 9:00pm PDT  Reply to this post
  • This isn’t just unprofessional and disgraceful, its also childish when you think about it.

    1) CNN digs into the scene of a murder digging around looking for juicy newsbits and finds Amb. Stevens’ personal diary/journal.
    2) They use the personal writings of Amb. Stevens and calls them a “source familiar with Amb. Stevens’ thinking”.
    3) They do so against the wishes of the murdered and his bosses. And they fight with them to keep the diary as much as possible to dig dirt from before FINALLY giving it up.

    This is not the act of professional, grown men and women. This is the act of children who want juicy gossip and have no sense of decency.

    Comment by Kevin Grussing — Saturday September 22, 2012 @ 9:05pm PDT  Reply to this post
  • So CNN lied to cover their own butts and got caught. I supposed CNN is calling this Journalism.
    Thanks —uhh… Anderson-uhhh Cooper

    Comment by Ron — Saturday September 22, 2012 @ 9:21pm PDT  Reply to this post
  • Anderson Cooper had his Silver Fox moment in 2007ish. People look down on him now, because in these tough times, we realize he’s just a product of incredible nepotism. He’s a Vanderbilt, and his Ridiculist, while “fun,” I guess, is an insult to the profession. He’s a fluff, he’s a bad reporter, his talk show is terrible and stilted, he’s not funny, and his inappropriate laughing isn’t just about losing focus, it’s that he laughs at potty humor — that’s what does it to him. If any other journalist pulled that, they’d lose their job. But he’s rich, so he gets a free pass. But part of the network’s low ratings are because there’s absolutely nothing compelling about him.

    Comment by jo — Saturday September 22, 2012 @ 11:10pm PDT  Reply to this post
  • The Bad News: CNN keeps slipping to levels which are embarrassing to everyone except the News Corp newspaper group who set the bar for low life journalism.

    The Good News: No one watches CNN so very few even saw this happen.

    Comment by FTCS — Sunday September 23, 2012 @ 12:07am PDT  Reply to this post
  • CNN found it? So some CNN reporter walked into a “CRIME SCENE” and removed evidence? Are they going to try to blame this on Romney jumping the gun or on that really awful movie?

    Comment by Alex — Sunday September 23, 2012 @ 6:00am PDT  Reply to this post
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