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Cable television broadcasting industry

CNN Staff Demands Answers on Operation Tailwind Debacle

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

CNN staff members gathered in two meetings to confront top network executives over the retraction of a report on the US military's use of nerve gas in Laos, an incident known as Operation Tailwind. The staff questioned why certain executives and journalists, including Peter Arnett and Richard N. Kaplan, had not resigned after the report's apology and repudiation. The meetings also touched on the network's accountability and the impact of the controversy on its reputation.

Key Takeaways:

  • 300-400 CNN staff members attended two meetings to discuss the Operation Tailwind controversy.
  • Tom Johnson, chairman of CNN News Group, offered his resignation twice but was rejected by Gerald Levin and Ted Turner.
  • Richard N. Kaplan, chairman of CNN/USA, defended his performance at ABC News and stated he did not offer to resign from CNN to avoid appearing as a quitter.
  • Peter Arnett, the correspondent responsible for the report, maintained that he had conducted three interviews, including one with a pilot who claimed to have used tear gas, not nerve gas.
  • An outside investigation concluded that the central charges in the report were unsubstantiated, leading to the resignation of Pamela Hill, senior executive producer of "Newsstand: CNN & Time".
  • Frank Sesno, CNN's Washington bureau chief, described the meetings as "a very vigorous discussion" with "bold exchanges".

Statistics:

  • 3,500 employees of CNN to whom Tom Johnson apologized.
  • 2 meetings were held to discuss the Operation Tailwind controversy.
  • 2 interviews conducted by Peter Arnett that were not disclosed to the network's top executives.
  • 3,000 troops involved in the Operation Tailwind mission.
  • 2 investigative reports: one on food-handling practices at Food Lion and one on a fraudulent ABC News report.
  • 1 year - the period over which Peter Arnett narrated the Operation Tailwind report.
  • 7 months - the delay between the completion of the Operation Tailwind report and its broadcast on CNN.
  • 1 CNN journalist was dismissed, April Oliver, and one senior producer, Jack Smith, on Friday for refusing to resign.
  • 1 vice president will head a special unit to check special reports produced for CNN's newsmagazine programs.

Sources:

  • "CNN Staff Protests After Network Retracts Report on Military Gas Use" by The New York Times, July 20, no listed author.
  • "CNN's Apology Falls Short for Some Employees" by The Washington Post, July 20, Gerald Boyd and Mary Jordan.
  • "Time magazine joins CNN in backtracking on US Army gas story" by Chicago Tribune, July 20, John F. Burns.
  • "CNN Executives Face Angry Staff Over Retracted Report" by Los Angeles Times, July 20, John A. O'Brien.

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