Zucker Praises Staff for Their News Coverage...HUH?!

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Zucker Praises Staff for Their News Coverage...HUH?!

In a week where CNN may have made the biggest blunder in the network's history, CNN boss Jeff Zucker says he's proud of their efforts.

Despite the fact ​CNN Reported the arrest of a bombing suspect that turn out not to be true and turned the network into a laughing stock on late night television and online, Zucker thinks the network did well. 

Really?!​

CNN never made an apology ​for their huge mistake and often times tried to pass the blame one law enforcement sources. 

The FBI basically scolded CNN in a statement and the network wasted viewers time with reporting bogus information.​

Yet Zucker thinks they did great. ​

As a network boss at one of CNN's competitors ​said to FTVLive "Was Jeff even watching CNN's coverage, or was he watching Pete Williams on NBC?"

Read the memo Zucker set to the staff after the jump  ​

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Picture of Dead Bombing Suspect Leaks Online

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Picture of Dead Bombing Suspect Leaks Online

A picture of what is claiming to be the body of Boston marathon bombing suspect, Tamerlan Tsarnaev is starting to pop up on websites.  

Tsarnaev was killed early this morning in a shootout with police. 

No word on how the photo made it's way online and some are wondering if the picture is legit.  

The picture appears like it was shot inside a medical facility.

Some think the photo could have been taken a hospital or coroner employee, or by someone in law enforcement.

FTVLive has posted the photo after the jump. We will warn you that it is graphic in nature. ​

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New ND Named in Sacramento

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New ND Named in Sacramento

Veteran local television news executive Tom Bell has been named News Director at KOVR-TV, the CBS-owned station in Sacramento, it was announced today by Kevin Walsh, Vice President and General Manager, KOVR and sister station KMAX 31. 

Bell joins KOVR after having served as News Director at WOAI-TV, the NBC affiliate in San Antonio, since December 2009.  Prior to that, he was the News Director at KTVX-TV, the ABC affiliate in Salt Lake City; and at KPHO-TV, the CBS affiliate in Phoenix.  He also served as Assistant News Director at KMOV-TV, the CBS affiliate in St. Louis.  Bell began his professional career in Detroit. 

The obligatory ​quotes after the bounce

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Matt Lauer in the Wrong Place Yet Again

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While the eyes of the world are focused on Watertown, MA..... 1832 miles away sits Matt Lauer.​

The Today Show decided to send Lauer to the site of the Fertilizer ​Plant explosion in West, Texas. 

Lauer just can't seem to catch a break.

While Savannah ​Guthrie is covering one of the biggest stories of her career. Lauer has been regulated to Twitter Cheerleader.

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NBC's Pete Williams - The Calm in the Media Storm

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NBC's Pete Williams - The Calm in the Media Storm

The Boston Marathon bombing story is by no doubt the biggest news story in the social media era. ​

You must remember that when 9/11 happened, neither Twitter, Facebook or any other of the social media websites did not exist.

The Boston Bombings have brought out some of the best and the worst of both Social and the Mainstream Media.​

And while we had the debacle ​of CNN and Fox News reporting of phantom arrests along with other media mistakes. There was one Journalist who stood out for his solid coverage and his ability to get the facts right.

NBC's Pete Williams.​

More after the jump  
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ABC News Producer's Heart Stopping Run in With Police

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ABC News Producer's Heart Stopping Run in With Police

Amid reporting on the breaking story in Watertown, Massachusetts, as the second suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing — who has been identified — remains at large, ABC News shared a related story about one of their own colleagues. ABC News producer Megan Chuchmach described her encounter with officers who were suspicious of her backpack and thought she could be a suspect.

“I was walking with my camera trying to get a better sense of where the SWAT teams were all congregating when all of a sudden, three officers…with their guns drawn, forced me to the ground, and told me that they were suspicious of my backpack and thought I might be the suspect,” Chuchmach explained.

Asked about the “terrifying” experience, Chuchmach said it was “heart stopping. Time stood still.”

Video of her Interview after the the leap ​

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News Frenzy in Watertown

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News Frenzy in Watertown

The late-night shootout and subsequent manhunt for the suspects in the Boston bombing attacks played out in riveting real time on networks and online.

The coverage began late Thursday night, and gained steam as the hours passed. Eventually, every network was devoting wall-to-wall coverage to the hunt.

Authorities launched an immediate investigation after news broke that an MIT officer had been shot late Thursday night. Cable networks reported the shooting towards the end of their primetime lineups, but were careful to say that it had no connection to the bombing at that time.

While national networks mostly turned off for the night, local Boston news stations sprung into breaking news mode, as the scene where the MIT officer was shot quickly turned into an attempted car-jacking, violent shootout and manhunt.

More after the jump  ​

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Throwing the Book at Today

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Throwing the Book at Today

Word is that Matt Lauer and his Today show bosses were doing their best to try and obtain an advance copy of New York Times media reporter, Brian Stelter‘s new book "Top of the Morning."

The book will be released next week and it is expected to paint a bad picture of some members of the Today Show and Lauer in general.​

Sources tell FTVLive that Stelter sat down with members of the Today Show for interviews and fact checking on the book. So many inside Today have a fairly good idea what's coming.

Still, with the Today Show suffering from from so many PR debacles, Stelter's book is likely only going to add to that.

​More after the hop  

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Charlotte Station to Become CW Affiliate

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Charlotte Station to Become CW Affiliate

We're betting it wasn't their first choice, but it was basically the only one they had.​

Bahakel Communications-owned WCCB Charlotte, N.C. (DMA 25) will become The CW Television Network’s affiliate in Charlotte, NC, effective July 1. WCCB was a Fox affiliate until earlier this year when Fox purchased WJZY in the market, the fomer CW affil.

“We are delighted that we have this opportunity to join such an up and coming network with even more contemporary and creative program series to come,” said Poston. “We have been very impressed with the creativity and production quality of the original programming that The CW has provided and plans for the new fall season.”

​More after the leap  

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1 Down, 1 To Go

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1 Down, 1 To Go

Police say that 1 of the marathon bombing suspects is dead the other is still on the run. 

The Boston Marathon bombing suspects — armed with explosives and guns — battled law enforcement officers in a Boston suburb early Friday morning, unleashing chaos until cops took one of the men into custody and the other fled, law enforcement sources said.

Officials later said the suspect taken into custody died and authorities identified the man on the run as the "white-hat" suspect, referencing photographs released by the FBI Thursday. Authorities warned he should be considered armed and dangerous.

The standoff in Watertown, Mass., erupted shortly after the fatal shooting of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology police officer. A transit police officer was also wounded in the Watertown fire fight, officials confirmed to NBC affiliate WHDH.

More after the hop  
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Hmmmmm? Seems a Bit Strange...

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Hmmmmm? Seems a Bit Strange...

There's a rule in TV news that almost every station follows.

After a plane crash, all ad spots for airlines are pulled from the air. After a tornado rips through a town, stations pull spots for mobile home sales.​

It's just basic standard operating procedure. You don't want to show the wreckage of a passenger jet on the newscast and then cut to a commercial for American ​Airlines (or any other airline for that matter).

So we found it a bit odd that after screwing up maybe the biggest story in their 33 years of existence, CNN has an ad on a website who's job it is to report on them. 

More after the leap  
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