Transcript
BOB GARFIELD: This is On the Media. I'm Bob Garfield.
BROOKE GLADSTONE: And I'm Brooke Gladstone. It started off like any other terrorist scare. We've seen plenty of them in the last five years, what with our office TVs turned into cable news morning ‘til night – so many, in fact, that when the caption screamed “security threat” on Wednesday, it was 15 minutes before we took the TVs off mute.
(AUDIO CLIP)
MALE REPORTER: Developing news happening right here today in the Senate newsroom. It's actually happening in Boston. Live pictures now. Let's take you. Five suspicious packages planted near bridges and other -
MALE REPORTER: - insignificant where these devices are found. We're talking three bridges –
FEMALE REPORTER: Right.
MALE REPORTER: - and a hospital.
FEMALE REPORTER: Correct.
MALE REPORTER: The targets, the likely targets of a terrorist attack.
MALE REPORTER: Our local Fox station in Boston is now reporting six devices, a sixth -
[OVERTALK]
FEMALE REPORTER: - that device, and had other components that are consistent with improvised explosive devices. However, they underscore that no explosives were found in that package nor were
[OVERTALK]
MALE REPORTER: And it looks like the whole thing may have been a hoax. All of the devices that were found, for all practical purposes, turned out not - not to be explosives.
BROOKE GLADSTONE: The saturation coverage continued throughout the afternoon, and then the story turned – strange.
FEMALE ANNOUNCER: The device itself, it's a black board with sort of white pegs on it. It resembles a cartoon character of the Aqua Teen –
[OVERTALK]
SHEPARD SMITH: - a Cartoon Network program called Aqua Teen Hunger Force, which just released a feature-length movie last week.
[END OF NEWS CLIPS]
BROOKE GLADSTONE: That's Fox News' Shepard Smith. But we watched the news conference on CNN, which was lucky, because right after officials grumpily reminded whoever was responsible that they'd be facing serious jail time, we heard something of a scoop on CNN.
MALE REPORTER: The packages in question are part of an outdoor marketing campaign in 10 cities in support of Adult Swim's animated television show, Aqua Teen Hunger Force. And then from Turner Broadcasting, “we regret that they were mistakenly thought to pose any danger.”
BOB GARFIELD: We bet they regret it. After all, Turner Broadcasting is not only the parent company of The Cartoon Network, Court TV, TBS and Money Magazine, but also of – CNN, the venerable news outlet that had been gravely reporting on the threat for the previous two hours. Oops! But then another big break in the story and an even bigger break for CNN.
FEMALE REPORTER: Well, Wolf, we can tell you that apparently this was done by a third-party marketing campaign. Interference Marketing is what we are being told.
BOB GARFIELD: Ah-hah! A third party. For Turner Broadcasting, this diversion was manna from heaven. Interference marketing consisted of two 20-somethings mugging for the cameras in handcuffs the following morning. These guys were weird – and look at that one guy's dreadlocks! Around midday they posted bail and held a news conference. One reporter asked how they felt.
MAN: I feel like my hair is pretty perfect, but altogether I want to redirect this onto the topic of haircuts in the seventies, because I want to educate myself about it a little bit more.
REPORTER: What was it like to spend last night in jail?
MAN: I - that's not a hair question, I'm sorry.
BROOKE GLADSTONE: Wait a minute. After all, this was serious business. The city of Boston was out almost a million dollars in emergency response funds. The networks agreed. It was, quote, "an exercise in bad publicity, a marketing fiasco" as the screen was filled with B-roll images of Aqua Teen Hunger Force.
BOB GARFIELD: You know Aqua Teen Hunger Force, the cartoon with the new movie? They say all publicity is good publicity, but not for Turner Broadcasting, which may also be facing prosecution. Maybe this display of the media beast consuming its own tail will go down as an object lesson in the unintended consequences of media consolidation.
But even if it doesn't, if this episode results in more skepticism directed at cable's incessant scare stories, it won't have been a total waste of time, because cable news hysterics – now, that's a package worthy of everyone's suspicion.