Sun Editorial:

A major mistake

CNN, Coast Guard share blame for bungled ‘routine’ training exercise on the Potomac

Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2009 | 2:04 a.m.

CNN on Friday reported that the Coast Guard had fired 10 shots at a suspicious boat on the Potomac River, not far from the Pentagon, where a Sept. 11 memorial service was being held.

The report sparked a serious scare, considering it was the anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks on New York and the Pentagon. Federal authorities and Washington police swarmed the area and found that there was no suspicious boat, nor any shots fired. The Coast Guard was conducting what it called a routine training exercise.

A CNN reporter apparently heard someone on a police scanner say, “bang, bang, bang” and other chatter about a suspicious boat. CNN quickly went on the air to be first with the “news,” complete with video of armed Coast Guard boats on the river. (Fox News Channel followed, based on a report by Reuters news service.)

As a result of the stir, the Federal Aviation Administration grounded flights at Reagan National Airport for 20 minutes.

CNN anchor Kyra Phillips said the network called the Coast Guard and was told, “We don’t know what you’re talking about.” The report, she said, was based on other sources.

The network and the other news outlets that ran with this nonstory should be ashamed. Their actions were irresponsible.

The Coast Guard also failed in its duty. Vice Adm. John Currier, the Coast Guard chief of staff, said he saw no reason to apologize, saying that there are “routine, low-profile” exercises on the river four times a week.

However, the Coast Guard was tone deaf at best. Why hold an exercise on Sept. 11, when the nation is particularly sensitive to terrorism? After significant criticism, the Coast Guard said it would review its handling of the incident.

Both CNN and the Coast Guard share responsibility and should apologize for needlessly scaring the public.

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By neiman1

Sept. 15, 2009

6:23 a.m.

Flag

I love the CNN broadcasts blaming the Coast Guard for not notifying Homeland Security? The Coast Guard is homeland security.

CNN blew this big time and just want to find fault with others to explain their horrible alarmist report. Gibbs said it best when he suggested they check their facts before reporting. He still thinks they are a news organization.

If CNN wants to survive in this economy they will have to find a way to become relevant. They have been repeating press releases instead of gathering news for so long they forgot how.
By thinkforachange

Sept. 15, 2009

7:16 a.m.

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I can't help but wonder if the author(s) have any idea what the US Coast Guard (part of the US Dept. of Homeland Security) does? Do any of the under informed "editors" at the Las Vegas Sun know what Semper Paratus means?
Let me inform you guys just a little. It means that the Coast Guard is always ready and constantly preparing to protect you. That means right here, right now, in the U S of A. They work hard, really hard, dealing with scumbag drug runners and people dumping trash & oil into our rivers and drunks on the waterways. They teach our kids to be safe and they physically protect us from terrorists who mean to do each and every one of us harm.
To do this they train often, regularly and hard. They are out there day and night and they don't take breaks very often. That's why they were prepared to help when Katrina destroyed one of our most beloved cities.
If some fool thinks that the U S Coast Guard needs to take blame for training hard and being prepared to save and protect U S citizens they need to get a clue.
Let me see if I can list the clues needed:
1. How close to the Pentagon memorial event did the training take place? (clue, the closest the Potomac comes to the airplane crash site is about 1/2 mile, on the far side of the building)
2. How were the boats armed? (clue, they don't arm the boats for unarmed boat maneuvers training on the Potomac)
3. Who needed to be alerted to the training schedule? (clue, the schedule for regular, periodic, unarmed boat maneuvers training does not take a rocket scientist to figure out, perhaps too much for CNN reporters though)
4. What channel on the "police scanner" did the CNN "reporter" hear the Coast Guard on? (clue, the Coast Guard doesn't use Police radio frequencies for training, it must have been a marine radio, CNN was mistaken, again)
5. How was the training "bungled" by the Coast Guard? (clue, the training went well, only CNN and perhaps other, stupid media people can be said to have "bungled" anything)
6. How noisy was the gunfire during the training and how much did it disrupt the memorial event at the Pentagon? (clue, none at all, no shots were fired and apparently no one at the Pentagon noticed anything at the time)
- adepto a clue, GET A CLUE