What's going on at CNN?

On Monday, the "most trusted name in news" ran an advertisement for its Headline News program "Nancy Grace" dealing with "incredible crime stories" this fall.

In the fast-moving montage, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell's (R-Kent.) picture was spliced in between what appears to be convicted dog abuser Michael Vick and missing Bolingbrook, Illinois, resident Stacy Peterson. A picture of her husband Drew, who is implicated in her disappearance, followed, with a final shot of OJ Simpson.

Here's the transcript of this highly curious ad (video available here):

This fall has been full of incredible crime stories. But if you really want to do justice to legal news, you need Nancy Grace. Tonight, she's back, and she's on the case. Nancy Grace returns to Headline News tonight, 8:00 eastern.

Maybe someone at CNN should explain why Sen. McConnell's picture was included in a promo concerning "This fall [being] full of incredible crime stories."

Update 15:00. NewsBusters has been informed that after a number of CNN producers were sent our article on this subject, a senior CNN official contacted McConnell's office to apologize for the incident.

Apparently, the ad is being immediately pulled, and a full internal investigation is being launched concerning the matter.

NewsBusters appreciates this decision by CNN, and is very interested in the outcome of said investigation.

—Noel Sheppard is the Associate Editor of NewsBusters.