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XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX TUE NOV 22, 2005 11:54:02 ET XXXXX
CNN: 'IT WAS A COMPUTER BUG'
'IT IS NOT SOMETHING WE CAN RE-CREATE TO SHOW YOU HOW IT HAPPENED'
CNN on Tuesday morning hoped to explain how and why a black 'X' flashed over Vice President Dick Cheney's face during a live speech.
The startling 'X' flashes over Cheney's face were first revealed by the DRUDGE REPORT. One top White House source expressed concern about what was aired:
"Is someone in Atlanta trying to tell us something?"
CNN transcript:
CNN anchor/reporter Daryn Kagan: "I have come back into the control room because we want to explain something to you that happened on this newscast yesterday. During our live coverage of a speech by Vice President Dick Cheney there was a technical malfunction, you'll see it here.
It involved a switcher, something we call a switcher. It's a machine that we use to switch between visual elements.
Now, that glitch resulted in that 'X' that you saw being flashed briefly across the screen as the vice president was speaking.
The story has made it on to the internet and various blogs in there.
In response, CNN has issued this statement.
'Upon seeing this unfortunate but very brief graphic, CNN senior management immediately investigated. We concluded this was a technical malfunction not an issue of operator error.'
Joining me to explain what happened Steve our CNN director of technical operations.
We're putting you on the hot seat here.
People at home are watching Vice President Dick Cheney.
What happened?
What were we trying to create behind the scenes?
At the end of the speech the plan was to do, to have a CNN logo up on the screen and use that as the way of getting back from the speech back to you on camera and one of the many graphics we use here at CNN.
MORE
A majority of graphics we use on the air, we use as a big x to identify at what point should the tape be cued up.
This is the x you see in the control room but it is never meant to be seen on the air.
It's being used.
The controlroom will use that kbrx to cue up the CNN logo to get it ready for air and as you see there, getting it ready.
We're doing this now, live. We're showing what you're trying to do exactly.
That is what was being prepared during the speech and due to the technical glitch that happened with the switcher, it accidentally got on the air because of the switch.
And it's the sort of thing that just like your computer will glitch and will suddenly lock up and do something weird, our equipment does the same thing on occasions.
ot something we can re-create to show you what happened.
Which is a really important point.
First of all, a switcher is a machine, not a person.
Correct.
When we were talking about doing the segment and said, let's do it again. You can't make it happen on purpose.
That's correct.
For all the conspiracy theories out there and we want to have someone who is trying to make a statement about the nature of vice president cheney's speech, it's a computer bug. Ours was in front of millions of people.
That is absolutely correct. As it goes. So, we're getting it fixed, i hope?
Yes, much like you have to reboot your computer from time to time, we're going to reboot our computer from time to time to make sure it doesn't happen again.
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