At the conclusion of CNN’s "Your World Today," which features an international take on the news of the day, anchors Stephen Frazier and Rosemary Church read a variety of e-mails on North Korea’s testing of nuclear weapons. Only in the morally relativistic world of CNN, where all opinions are equal, could a letter like this repeated aloud:
Church: "And a completely different view. Soh, from Singapore writes: ‘The North Koreans have done the right thing. Since the end of the Korean War, they have been subjected to hostilities from the United States. and other western powers. This bomb is a source of tremendous pride for the Korean people, north and south. The world should congratulate the North Korean people for this achievement."
One can imagine a 1930s CNN reading German e-mails congratulating Hitler on his triumphant liberation of Poland.
A transcript of the segment, which aired at 12:57PM EDT, follows:
Your World Today 10/09/06
12:57PM EDT
Stephen Frazier and Rosemary Church
Frazier: "Well, for quite a while now, you’ve been e-mailing us your thoughts on North Korea’s nuclear test and what the next step should be."
Church: "You have. And this is what some of you are saying all around the world. Jacques, from Frances writes, ‘This is the biggest defiance the world has faced since the missile crisis in 1961. A golden opportunity for Iran to push their program forward and for Islamist radicals to buy their way into nuclear games. The people of North Korea might have to suffer the consequences of a long lasting blockade.’"
Frazier: "Michael in the United States says, ‘Was anyone else thinking ‘weak’ when they heard President Bush’s speech this morning? There was no call to China that they’d be held responsible for North Korea’s actions. There was no strong support for Japan and there was no call to South Korea to stop blaming the U.S. for increased tensions and realize that their true enemy lies to the north.’"
Church: "And a completely different view. Soh, from Singapore writes: ‘The North Koreans have done the right thing. Since the end of the Korean War, they have been subjected to hostilities from the United States. and other western powers. This bomb is a source of tremendous pride for the Korean people, north and south. The world should congratulate the North Korean people for this achievement."
Frazier: "And finally, Nicole from the Untied States writes: ‘I think it is in the interest of the U.S. to leave well enough alone. We are already in the middle of one war. The United Nations needs to step in. I wish it wasn’t always up to the U.S. to protect the world.’"
Church: "Quite a mix of views there. I think we covered it."