Organisations

Cable News Network (CNN)

Cable News Network (CNN) is an American cable television news network whose coverage has included NASA Mars mission reporting since the early 1990s and, from 2017, interviews with former Department of Defense official Luis Elizondo on UAP.

On 1989-07-20, the day of George Herbert Walker Bush’s Space Exploration Initiative announcement, CNN called Richard C. Hoagland for an interview, an approach recorded as the 1989-07-20 Hoagland CNN Crossfire invitation.¹ Mike Bara said that Larry King fondly remembered Hoagland as a “great guest” from his appearance on King’s CNN show in the early 1990s.²

As the launch of Mars Observer approached, Hoagland appeared live on CNN reminding viewers of the mission’s controversial history as the spacecraft lifted off.³ When Mars Observer later went missing, local and national television coverage of a demonstration against National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s planned Cydonia secrecy dominated CNN’s coverage of the story for the remainder of that day.⁴

The March 1996 press conference at the National Press Club in Washington DC, held on 1996-03-21, was attended by at least sixty members of the national and international media.⁵ CNN and Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN) attended and filmed the National Press Club press conference but did not broadcast any footage of the proceedings.⁶

CNN’s science anchor was John Holliman.⁷ When Mars Pathfinder’s panoramas were broadcast live on the network, Ron Nicks said he observed multiple geometric anomalies around the Mars Pathfinder Lander,⁸ and viewers watching the coverage called in about strangely geometric rocks they saw in the images.⁹ Discrepancies were repeatedly found between the original live CNN transmissions of Mars Pathfinder’s landing on 1997-07-04 and the later electronic image versions released across the web by the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL).¹⁰ Hoagland said that Nicks, a trained geologist, and thousands of other viewers of the initial Pathfinder data in real time on CNN reported seeing artifacts before he did.¹¹ Holliman said on 1998-04-06 that the independent researchers needed more time to properly evaluate the MIPL image.¹²

In 2017, Luis Elizondo said he told CNN that he and his team had identified anomalous aircraft with no obvious flight surfaces or propulsion, manoeuvring with extreme manoeuvrability beyond healthy G-forces for a human or biological pilot, achieving hypersonic velocities, exhibiting low observability and positive lift, and seemingly defying the laws of aerodynamics.¹³ When pressed by CNN’s Erin Burnett on whether the objects were aliens, Elizondo said he wanted to let the data speak for itself and use it to inform senior Department of Defense leadership about the potential threat the technologies pose to national security, especially over controlled airspace.¹⁴ Within a couple of weeks of the 2017 CNN interview with Luis Elizondo, astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson told CNN in January 2018 that he was not convinced by the Unidentified Anomalous Phenomena (UAP) evidence.¹⁵ Following the December 2017 news coverage, calls flooded Elizondo’s home from CBS, ABC, National Broadcasting Company (NBC) News, CNN, PBS, Fox News, and MSNBC.¹⁶ While waiting in the greenroom at CNN before an on-camera interview, Elizondo and Jennifer were approached by James R. Clapper.¹⁷

References (17)

CNN called Richard C. Hoagland for an interview on the day of the Space Exploration Initiative announcement.
“In fact, on the very day of Bush's announcement (July 20, 1989) of his dramatic new thirty-year plan, CNN called Hoagland for an interview.”
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Larry King recalled Hoagland as a great guest on his CNN show.
“Despite having direct talks with Larry King himself, who fondly remembered Richard as a “great guest” from his appearance on King’s CNN show in the early 1990’s”
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Hoagland appeared live on CNN as Mars Observer's launch approached.
“Hoagland was live on CNN, reminding viewers of all this strange history even as the spacecraft lifted off.”
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CNN's coverage of the missing Mars Observer story was dominated by coverage of a demonstration against NASA's Cydonia secrecy.
“The local and national TV shots of “the people”—vocally demonstrating against NASA’s planned Cydonia secrecy, and for the first time in the Agency’s decades-long history—dominated CNN (and other network) coverage of the “missing Mars Observer story” throughout the remainder of the day.”
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The March 1996 National Press Club press conference was attended by at least sixty media members.
“The press conference came off on March 21, 1996. At least sixty members of the national and international media, including CNN, C-SPAN, Telmundo and NBC attended.”
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CNN and C-SPAN filmed the press conference but did not broadcast footage.
“Despite showing up and shooting video of the proceedings, CNN and C-SPAN did not broadcast any footage.”
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John Holliman was CNN's science anchor.
“CNN's science anchor, the late John Holliman”
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Ron Nicks said he observed geometric anomalies around the Mars Pathfinder Lander during CNN's live broadcast.
“started independently seeing major "inconsistencies" about the landing site as the unexpected panoramas swept across the screen: multiple, blatantly geometric "anomalies" around the Lander, showing up on CNN's live television broadcasts”
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Viewers called CNN about strangely geometric rocks seen in Pathfinder images.
“Worldwide viewers, watching the NASA unmanned Mission "live on CNN," began calling in about "the strangely geometric rocks" that they were seeing”
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Discrepancies were found between live CNN Pathfinder footage and later JPL image releases.
“Unusual (and still unresolved) discrepancies were found repeatedly, between the original (paradoxically, much clearer) initial television transmissions from CNN's live Pathfinder coverage that July 4 afternoon, and the later electronic versions of those same images released across the web by JPL”
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Hoagland said Nicks and thousands of CNN viewers reported artifacts before he did.
“given that a trained geologist (Nicks), and thousands of viewers of the initial data in real time on CNN, had come to Hoagland first—regarding "seeing artifacts"—and not the other way around”
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Holliman said independent researchers needed more time to evaluate the MIPL image.
“Only CNN’s John Holliman, who had been friendly to the independent investigation over the years, was somewhat sympathetic, saying that the independent researchers needed more time to properly evaluate the image.”
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Elizondo told CNN his team had identified anomalous aircraft with no obvious flight surfaces or propulsion.
“'We found a lot,' Elizondo told CNN. 'I think that what's important is that we have identified some very interesting anomalous type of aircraft, let's call them aircraft. Things that don't have any obvious flight surfaces, any obvious forms of propulsion, and manoeuvring in ways that include extreme manoeuvrability beyond, I would submit, the healthy G-forces of a human or anything biological, hypersonic velocities, low observability, positive lift. Again, seemingly defying the laws of aerodynamics.'”
In Plain Sight ch21:13805-14295 View the source record →
Elizondo told CNN's Erin Burnett he wanted the data to speak for itself on whether the objects were aliens.
“'What I wanted to do was to allow the data to speak for itself and then use that data to inform leadership, senior DoD leadership about the potential threat that these type of technologies pose to national security, especially over any types of controlled airspace that we might have. So, I'm not trying to be evasive in any way or vague with your answer, but I think there's a lot of possibilities,' he said, evasively.”
In Plain Sight ch21:14706-15115 View the source record →
Neil DeGrasse Tyson told CNN he was not convinced by the UAP evidence.
“but the news cycle moved on and, within a couple of weeks, UAP sceptic and astrophysicist Neil DeGrasse Tyson dismissively told CNN he was not convinced.”
In Plain Sight ch21:17056-17199 View the source record →
Calls flooded Elizondo's home from major networks, including CNN, after December 2017 coverage.
“Calls flooded our home from CBS, ABC, NBC, CNN, PBS, Fox, MSNBC, etc.”
Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs ch29:23393-23458 View the source record →
Elizondo and Jennifer were approached by James Clapper in CNN's greenroom.
“While waiting in the greenroom at CNN prior to an on-camera interview, Jenn and I were approached by my old boss, the legendary general James Clapper.”
Imminent: Inside the Pentagon's Hunt for UFOs ch29:25015-25157 View the source record →

Cable News Network (CNN)

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