Last Saturday, May 7, 2011, a Sofitel chambermaid entered a $3000 per night suite because she was instructed to clean it. But when she was inside she was confronted with a man without clothes and immediately this person started attacking her.
She was dragged to a nearby bedroom and when the man tried to remove her underwear she was able to fight back and escape.
It was later found out that the man was no ordinary pervert for he is Dominique Strauss-Khan, the 62 year old head of the International Monetary Fund or the IMF (CNN Wire Staff, 2011, p.1). This study attempts to examine the report by CNN.com and analyze how data was used and how it can shape the opinion of the readers.
Quality of Information
The first thing that comes to mind is the source of the information. This news article did not come from a tabloid or any gossip column. This news article comes from CNN, through its official website CNN.com (CNN Wire Staff, 2011, p.1).
It immediately creates a sense of assurance within the reader that information coming from this source is reliable and not based on baseless accusation or a product of a writer’s imagination.
CNN has an organization has a well earned reputation of being an objective source of information that those who visit their website are assured that they have reporters who are trained to get raw information and then process it to produce news that can be relied upon for its accuracy. The same thing can be said about the report on Strauss-Khan and his alleged criminal offense.
The high quality of information provides an objective view of the case. The reporter did not try to arouse the emotions of the reader. As much as possible the reporter focused only on the facts of the case. Later on it will be pointed out why the reporter chose to interview this person as opposed to interviewing someone with merely an opinion or a casual observation of what happened.
Methodology
The reporter who wrote the news article did not simply rely on the work of others. Secondary information is not the core foundation of the article. A reporter went after people that have first-hand knowledge about the incident.
Thus, the reporter had a direct line of communication with the alleged perpetrator’s lawyers Benjamin Brafman and William Taylor. By doing so the reporter was able to discover a crucial piece of news, Strauss-Khan will plead not guilty.
The reporter also used investigative techniques to interview Deputy New York Commissioner Paul Browne in order to get relevant and accurate data about the case.
In other words the reporter is expected to receive nothing less than official statements regarding the role of the police in the apprehension of Strauss-Khan. This also serves as a way to verify the process used to determine if there is a strong case against the IMF head.
It is important to establish an airtight case against Strauss-Khan because he is considered a minor celebrity and therefore there are many people who will benefit from his legal problems. Strauss-Khan is the leader of powerful and influential organization and therefore there are many ways that his lawyers can create a defense that can weaken the allegations made against their clients.
Although the news is something that can easily be sensationalized it is difficult not to feel skepticism considering that Strauss-Khan is a high-profile target of many unscrupulous people. It is therefore imperative for the CNN reporter not only to report about the superficial aspects of the case but to help inform the readers if there is a basis for such accusations.
The reporter did not disappoint because in the course of the investigation he was able to determine that there was a police line-up made immediately after the arrest and the maid was able to identify Khan from the line-up assembled by the police and strengthening the case that indeed the maid knew the perpetrator and that she did not simply made it up.
The reporter also reached out to IMF headquarters. This is a clear sign of objective reporting and goes to show that the news agency delivering the news did not show any bias towards a person or group. But more than that the result of the interview provided a picture of how the IMF responded to the issue.
The IMF seems to treat the case as a personal problem between Strauss-Khan and his accuser. It also seems as if the IMF tried to distance itself from Straus-Khan.
Intended Audience
The intended audience is the general public and everyone who are considered as consumers of news content. It is for people who have access to the Internet and educated enough to understand the terms and languages used in the report.
Although it can be said that the report is made accessible to everyone using non-technical language and easy to understand terms it is also correct to say that the intended audience are those who understand global politics and finance.
Although experts are not the only people who can appreciate the said news article only those who have an idea about what the IMF does and what its role is in terms of nation building can truly appreciate the importance of this news article.
On the other hand those who are interested in reading about powerful officials embroiled in a sex scandal can also enjoy this piece.
Assumptions
The reporter used investigative techniques and proceeded to write an objective new article because this is based on the assumption that any person charge of a crime should be considered as innocent until proven guilty. With regards to this case there are a lot of incriminating evidence. For instance Strauss-Khan left his phone when he tried to take a plane to France.
The IMF headquarters also confirmed that Strauss-Kahn was not in New York for official business. It is also suspect as to the timing of his sudden departure that coincided with the reporting of the maid to the front desk as to the alleged crime.
The minor injuries suffered by the chambermaid are also circumstantial evidence that makes it appear that Strauss-Khan is indeed guilty. But the reporter did not construct an article that highlighted these findings because it will appear as if he is giving his opinion regarding the case.
It is therefore important to point out that the writer tried to find out more in order to present a more balanced view of the case. As a result he included the information regarding the police line-up.
Analysis
The analysis is reliable and valid. The reporter did not gather secondary information and wrote based on hearsay. The reporter went to the place where it happened and interviewed the personalities that have a direct bearing on the outcome of the case.
The reporter did not simply interview chambermaids in the Sofitel hotel, the place of the alleged scene of the crime. The reporter did not interview passersby but went straight to those who can provide official statements from their capacity as lawyers, police commissioners, and employer.
The conclusion is valid and appropriate because the reporter did not take shortcuts in order to create a reliable and accurate news article regarding the incident. Both sides of the story was sought and therefore a more balanced view was given. It was implied that Strauss-Khan is considered not guilty under due process has taken its course and has found guilty of the crime.
Nevertheless, the reporter supplied the information that helps explain why police officers were able to stop a plane from taking off and went aboard to apprehend Strauss-Khan. It can be seen that there is enough evidence for a judge to see that there is indeed a case against Strauss-Khan.
Conflict of Interest
There is no conflict of interest and there is no ethical issue that can cloud the veracity and validity of the new article. CNN will not benefit from the downfall of Strauss-Kahn.
CNN is not organization that directly received funding from the four major sources of information, namely the IMF, New York Police Department, Sofitel, and the lawyers of Strauss-Kahn. Thus, CNN and the reporter who wrote the news article can provide an unbiased view of the incident.
There is no conflict of interest and there is no ethical issue that will arise as to the motivation of the CNN reporter to know more about the case and wrote a news article about it. CNN is new agency and it is the responsibility of the writers and producers of the said organization to go after newsworthy stories and inform the general public about it.
Conclusion
The report was handled by a reputable organization known all over the world for its high standards. The readers are assured that every time a new article from CNN has been published then they can rely on it for its objectivity and accuracy.
Thus, when the new broke out that Strauss-Khan a high profile figure in the world of international finance was embroiled in a sex scandal, readers knew immediately that this should be taken seriously.
The same reaction is not expected if the news came from tabloid and other organizations that has not yet proven their capability to deliver top quality news article. Nevertheless, the reader has still to examine the information contained therein to be sure that the CNN reporter did his job to provide a balanced and accurate news article.
After reviewing the news article one can make the conclusion that an investigative type of reporting was used and that the reporter relied on first-hand information collected from official sources. The people interviewed did not merely provide opinion and what they feel about the case.
They provided information that was very beneficial to those who are interested to know if indeed there was a case against Strauss-Khan or if this was just a scheme to discredit him and tarnish his reputation.
Reference
CNN Wire Staff. (2011). IMF head to plead not guilty in alleged attempted rape. CNN. Web.