September 06, 2009|By DAVID ZURAWIK
CNN is obviously trying to take advantage of its edge in international coverage with the week of reports billed as "Inside the Battle Zone." But why not? It is an edge the channel pays for by committing resources to bureaus in places like Afghanistan.
Furthermore, when many national TV operations offer little or none of their own international coverage, it is all the more impressive to hear the likes of Cooper and Ware dissecting and explaining the need for multiple points of view and methods of reporting so that American viewers can have trustworthy information about the conflict.
"It's unfortunate we have seen networks cutting back on international coverage. And what that means is stories don't get told about what's happening in Afghanistan, what's happening in Iraq, or what our troops are going through," Cooper said.
"Increasingly, those stories fade from the headlines and from the evening newscasts. CNN is in the enviable position of actually increasing our foreign coverage. We have a full-time correspondent in Afghanistan. We have a bureau there. We're able to be there on a daily basis. ... And then, we're able to go in with coverage like this during the week of 9/11. This is what we do."
'Inside the Battle Zone'
"Anderson Cooper 360: Inside the Battle Zone" airs Monday-Friday 10 p.m.-midnight on CNN. The series finale airs Saturday at 8 p.m.
