CNN: the TV news continuously, from June 1, 1980 to Donald Trump

Audio 33:21

By: Steven Jambot Follow | Simon Decreuze Follow

For forty years, the American channel CNN has been covering the news of the world live. How does it work? How is it positioned vis-à-vis the American president Donald Trump, who regularly calls it fake news? Meeting with Cyril Vanier, one of the presenters of CNN.

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On the Champs-Elysées, in the Parisian offices of the American chain CNN, we met Cyril Vanier . For ten years, this Franco-Christophien was a great reporter, presenter or even international columnist on France 24. In 2016, he joined CNN, working first at headquarters in Atlanta where he presented night newspapers on weekends, then in London from where he co-presented a section of information broadcast at midnight French time before the coronavirus crisis broke out.

With him, we returned to the launch of CNN, June 1, 1980. Cable News Network was then born of a bet of the media tycoon Ted Turner: that of broadcasting from everywhere live to the whole world. The chain gradually established itself, covering important events such as the assassination of Reagan in Washington DC in March 1981, the explosion on takeoff of the Challenger shuttle in 1986 and the Gulf War in 1991.

“  CNN's recipe hasn't changed much. It's being where it happens, when it happens,  ”explains Cyril Vanier. “  CNN was the first to do it, now everyone is doing it. CNN has many competitors but the promise has not changed. CNN can rely on almost "  overcrowded  " staff around the world, he recalls, but the chain "  aims to put a lot of people on a story  ".

In the current and highly competitive media landscape, “  CNN decided it was better to be good, very good, on fewer stories rather than wanting to cover everything and get out of breath sending its correspondents everywhere. (...) CNN therefore puts the package on the stories that matter to CNN.  "

In this interview, we also return to recent events in the United States with the riots and the wave of protest that followed the death of George Floyd . CNN has covered these events extensively. From the street, at the height of men and women. A Black American journalist with the channel, Omar Jimenez, was arrested by the police while he was on the air. "  It's crazy. Frankly, it's revolting, it shouldn't happen.  "

CNN, Trump and the polarization of American politics

"  We are in a face to face, largely organized by the White House, between the media in general and Trump. (...) And Trump has CNN on the fly, as does the New York Times, the Washington Post,  "explains Cyril Vanier. "  We believe that it is because we are doing our job and that nothing is done to it unlike other media which are much more favorable to it.  "

“  We were not the ones looking for this confrontation and it is not free. We are not looking to pay the president (...), we are reporting the facts. And he is a president who does not support that we relate many facts because in his vision of the world, in his cosmology, things are not as they may appear to independent journalists. So often Trump is furious with us as with others.  "

Cyril Vanier recalls that the continuous attack on the media is part of Donald Trump's strategy. "  Where it makes the job of the media difficult is that you have to scrupulously take care never to enter your game  ", not to position yourself as "  enemies  ", not "  to be manipulated  ".

“  CNN aims to be its own source of information on as many subjects as possible. So the information gathering and especially verification work is very robust,  ”specifies Cyril Vanier. Thus, a three-headed team validates each content on three dimensions: editorial, legal and ethical.

One of the keys to CNN's success is its digital investments. With more than 200 million unique visitors per month, CNN's digital information offering is one of the most popular in the United States. The chain has successfully rejuvenated its audience. Thanks to videos produced for social networks, it is one of the most popular news brands for 15-25 year olds.

“  CNN is one of the few channels in the world with a very substantial budget that many other channels do not have. (...) When you have a limited budget, you often have to choose your battles. CNN has the opportunity to have more ambition.  Our guest reminds us that there are no cuts planned in CNN's budgets despite the current crisis. 

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• United States
• Media
• Journalism
• Freedom of press

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