- Jack Cafferty
Infobox journalist
name = Jack Cafferty
caption =
birthname =
birth_date = birth date and age|1942|12|14
birth_place = Chicago, Illinois,U.S.A.
age =
death_date =
death_place =
education =
occupation = Commentator
alias =
gender =
family = 4 children, 4 grandchildren
spouse = Carol (died 2008)
children =
relatives =
ethnic = Irish American
religion = Lutheran
salary =
networth =
credits = CNN's 'Situation Room'
agent =
URL = http://edition.cnn.com/CNN/anchors_reporters/cafferty.jack.htmlJack Cafferty (born
December 14 1942 in Chicago, Illinois) is aCNN commentator and occasional host of specials. In the summer of 2005, Cafferty joined "The Situation Room ".Career
Cafferty started his career in
Reno ,Nevada in 1960. He became the news director and co-anchor for the 6 o'clock and 10 o'clock news at WHO-TV inDes Moines ,Iowa . In 1977, Cafferty began to anchor national and local programs inNew York including "Strictly Business", "Live at Five" and the "Scarborough-Cafferty Report". He remained withWNBC-TV for eleven years and anchored "Strictly Business" until 1989. From 1989 to 1992 Cafferty was an anchor forWNYW-TV 's Newsline New York and "News at 7" on Fox 5. In the 1990s, Cafferty became a business reporter during his 1992-1998 tenure as a "News at 10" anchor on New York's local WB-11 network (WPIX-TV ). cite news | publisher = CNN | title = Anchors and Reporters |date= 10 July 2005 |url = http://edition.cnn.com/CNN/anchors_reporters/cafferty.jack.html ]In the summer of 2005, Cafferty joined "
The Situation Room ", CNN's weekday afternoon newscast and "In the money ", a weekend show about financial markets and economics, though he was replaced from the latter soon after. Cafferty also formerly co-anchored CNN's weekday morning broadcast, "American Morning ". On "The Cafferty File", his nightly segment on "The Situation Room", he offers commentary and personal opinions in the vein ofAndy Rooney .In October 2006, Cafferty hosted a five-part miniseries on CNN titled "Broken Government" detailing problems with the two political parties, government bureaucracy and the federal court system. Viewer e-mail messages replaced the
news crawl that usually appears on the bottom of the screen.Cafferty has earned many distinctions in his career, including the
Edward R. Murrow Award, anEmmy award and the New York Associated Press State Broadcasters Award. cite news | publisher = CNN | title = Anchors and Reporters |date= 10 July 2005 |url = http://edition.cnn.com/CNN/anchors_reporters/cafferty.jack.html]Book
Cafferty is the author of the book "It's Getting Ugly Out There: The Frauds, Bunglers, Liars, and Losers Who Are Hurting America", published on
September 10 ,2007 byJohn Wiley & Sons .cite book | title = It's Getting Ugly Out There | publisher = Wiley | isbn = 9780470144794 ] The book is a satirical critique of political and social issues, including the long arm of big business, theIraq War andHurricane Katrina , expanding on many of themes covered on Cafferty's "Situation Room" segment and chastising the growing culture of sensationalism andtabloid journalism in modern news media.Portions of the book are autobiographical, describing Cafferty's hard-knock childhood and short-lived military career as well as his foray into journalism. According to Cafferty: "Very little of my back story qualifies as Hallmark Card material, but it may help you to make sense of the way I see and interpret what's going on around me."
Political positions
Bush Administration
Cafferty initially supported the
2003 invasion of Iraq . He says he "bought the whole song and dance about WMDs. I was caught up in the national hysteria that followed 9/11, and was captive to the political manipulation, if you will, that took place in all of us."Fact|date=September 2008 He revised his position when theDowning Street memo was leaked in 2005 and has since become a harsh critic of the administration.On the
Iraq War , Cafferty stated, "The Bush administration used 9/11 as an excuse to start the war in Iraq. People make a lot of money during wartime — $600 billion we've spent there so far — and a lot of that money has gone to friends of the administration, and of course there is all that oil. I don't think for a single second there was anything honorable about the decision to invade a sovereign country. They had nothing to do with 9/11 and had done nothing to the United States. But hey... what do I know?" cite news | publisher = Huffington Post | title = Jack Cafferty Live Chat |date=12 September 2007 |url = http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jack-cafferty/livechat-getting-ugly-_b_64117.html ]On
February 15 ,2006 , whenFox News Channel commentatorBrit Hume interviewed Vice-PresidentDick Cheney after he had shotHarry Whittington in a hunting accident, Cafferty remarked, "I would guess it didn't exactly represent a profile in courage for the vice-president to wander over there to the F-word network for a sitdown with Brit Hume. I mean, that's a little like Bonnie interviewing Clyde, ain't it?"cite news | publisher = The Washington Post | title = Caustic Commentator |date=2006-02-27 |url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/02/26/AR2006022601486_2.html] As this is a common euphemism used at CNN to refer toRupert Murdoch 's network, Cafferty later clarified: "Get your mind out of the gutter. The F-word is Fox."Cafferty was reprimanded by the president of CNN when he called
Donald Rumsfeld "an obnoxious jerk andwar criminal " on the eve of the 2006 midterm election. He made an on-air acknowledgment of having "stepped over the line," but later told the interviewer, "I will go to my grave as Jack Cafferty, private citizen, believing that these people committed war crimes." cite news | publisher = Time Magazine | title = CNN's Jack Cafferty Mouths Off |date=15 September 2007 |url = http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1662283,00.html]On
August 19 2008 , he wrote an article comparingJohn McCain toGeorge W. Bush , concluding that "I fear to the depth of my being that John McCain is just like him." [http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/08/18/cafferty.mccain/index.html]The U.S. Democratic Party
Cafferty repeatedly criticizes what he calls the Democrats' lack of action to honor their campaign promises to end the Iraq War: "The Democrats were handed a golden opportunity to challenge President Bush on the war when they were given control of Congress in the midterm elections last year. So far they have done absolutely nothing." Cafferty once stated that "It seems the Democrats are the greatest thing the Republicans have going for them sometimes." cite news | publisher = Huffington Post | title = Jack Cafferty Live Chat |date=12 September 2007 |url = http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jack-cafferty/livechat-getting-ugly-_b_64117.html] When House Speaker
Nancy Pelosi claimed that Republicans were usingfillibuster tactics to block measures to withdraw American troops fromIraq , Cafferty declared: "Baloney, Madam Speaker. Appropriations bills for the war must pass the House of Representatives by a simple majority. It is completely within your power to stop the funding of the war in Iraq. You have simply chosen not to do so. In fact, I did a little homework. The Speaker of the House of Representatives decides which pieces of legislation even come to the floor of the House debate and/or a vote."Fact|date=September 2008Controversial remarks
Cafferty's outspoken and provocative style of commentary has on occasion led to public outcry. Though he acknowledges his habit of "saying some pretty outrageous stuff," Cafferty has characterised this as part of his job description: "I get paid to ask questions I don't know the answers to and to complain about the things that bother me."cite book | title = It's Getting Ugly Out There | publisher = Wiley | isbn = 9780470144794 ]
Middle East
The
American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee has accused Cafferty of having a "simplistic" cite news | publisher = American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee | title = Jack Cafferty In His Own Words |date=18 November 2004 |url = http://www.adc.org/index.php?id=2386 ] view of theMiddle East . Cafferty courted controversy onSeptember 23 ,2004 while discussing terrorist demands for the release of two female scientists from an Iraqi prison and remarking: "Given the way these mutants treat women in their societies, the women are probably better off in U.S. custody. They treat women like furniture in those countries. If I was a woman, I think I’d rather be in an American jail cell than I would be living with one of those, whatever they are over there."On
November 17 ,2004 , touching on the kidnapping and murder of the "Wall Street Journal 's" South Asia Bureau ChiefDaniel Pearl , Cafferty remarked: "TheArab World is where innocent people are kidnapped, blindfolded, tied up, tortured and beheaded, and then videotape of all of this is released to the world as though they’re somehow proud of their barbarism. Somehow, I wouldn’t be too concerned about the sensitivity of the Arab world. They don’t seem to have very much. It’s going to come down to them or us." The next day the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee accused Cafferty of "hateful rhetoric" and stated that he had "a history of insensitive remarks towards many minority groups".China
On the
April 9 ,2008 broadcast of CNN's "The Situation Room", asked to comment on the United States' relationship with China, Cafferty responded: "I think they're basically the same bunch of goons and thugs they've been for the last 50 years".cite news|url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0804/09/sitroom.03.html|title=The Situation Room|date=2008-04-09|publisher=CNN |accessdate=2008-09-01] The Legal Immigrant Association started an online petition calling for a formal apology, indicating that Mr. Cafferty's rant was anti-Chinese and has had the effect of exacerbating negative attitudes held by Americans toward Chinese andChinese American s. On theApril 14 ,2008 broadcast of CNN's "Situation Room", Jack Cafferty clarified his remarks: "Last week, during a discussion of the controversy surrounding China's hosting of the Olympic Games, I said that the Chinese are basically the same bunch of goons and thugs they have been for the last 50 years. I was referring to the Chinese government, and not to Chinese people or to Chinese-Americans."cite news|url=http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0804/14/sitroom.03.html|title=The Situation Room|date=2008-04-14|publisher=CNN |accessdate=2008-09-01] CNN issued a controversial apology on April 14, to "anyone who has interpreted the comments to be causing offense." [ [http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article3756437.ece CNN apologises to China over 'thugs and goons' comment by Jack Cafferty] Alexi Mostrous, Times, April 16, 2008] Not satisfied with CNN's response, several thousand demonstrators picketed CNN'sAtlanta, Georgia [ [http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-cnn20apr20,0,2778839.story Protesters target CNN after Jack Cafferty's remarks on China] , "Los Angeles Times ", Retrieved on April 20, 2008.] and Hollywood offices and demanded that CNN remove him from the network." [http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jndejsO5zezOxgOfRLSdBf7hUfwQD905A9LG0 Protesters take CNN to task over commentator's China remarks] " (2008-04-20)]On
April 24 ,2008 , beautician Liang Shubing and teacher Li Lilan filed alawsuit against Cafferty and CNN, seeking $1.3 billion in damages for "violating the dignity and reputation of theChinese people ". [ [http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/20080424/cnn-time-warner-lawsuit-china-media.htm ibtimes.com, CNN Faces $1.3 Bln Lawsuit, $1 per person in China] ] [ [http://www.reuters.com/article/televisionNews/idUSPEK30866720080424 reuters.com, CNN now sued for $1.3 billion] ]A protest was held on April 26, 2008 in front of CNN headquarters in
Atlanta . [ [http://www.ajc.com/services/content/metro/atlanta/stories/2008/04/26/chinese_0427.html?cxtype=rss&cxsvc=7&cxcat=13 Chinese protest CNN commentator's critical comments] ] On the same day, a few thousand Chinese and Chinese Americans protested in front of a CNN office inSan Francisco . [ [http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2008-04/27/content_8059584.htm news.xinhuanet.com] ] [ [http://www.mitbbs.com/article/Georgia/31165510_3.html mitbbs.com] ]On May 15, 2008, according to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang, CNN President
Jim Walton sent a letter toZhou Wenzhong , Chinese ambassador to the United States: "On behalf of CNN I'd like to apologize to the Chinese people for that. CNN has the highest respect for Chinese people around the world and we have no doubt that there was genuine offense felt by them over the Jack Cafferty commentary." [Xinhua News Agency, May 15, 2008]Reckless driving incident
Cafferty pleaded guilty to leaving the scene of an accident and
misdemeanor charges of reckless driving,assault and harassment after striking a cyclist and knocking him off his bike onMay 14 ,2003 . The bicyclist was slightly injured. A traffic officer and several pedestrians ran after Cafferty's car, but he ran at least two red lights without stopping, according to a police complaint. Cafferty was sentenced to a $250 fine and 70 hours of community service. [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9803EFDF1631F935A3575BC0A9659C8B63 Metro Briefing: New York ] ]Personal Life
On the
September 5 , 2008 episode ofThe Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer, it was revealed that Cafferty's wife of 35 years, Carol, had passed away on Friday, September 5th of unknown causes. [http://caffertyfile.blogs.cnn.com/2008/09/14/remembering-carol-cafferty/] Cafferty acknowledged on his CNN blog that his wife had been responsible in his reaching sobriety from alcohol.References
External links
*
* [http://www.cnn.com/CNN/anchors_reporters/cafferty.jack.html Jack Cafferty] - officialCNN bio.
* [http://caffertyfile.blogs.cnn.com/ The Cafferty File] - Cafferty's CNN blog.
* [http://money.cnn.com/ontv/inthemoney/ In the Money] - CNN site.
* [http://www.itsgettinguglyoutthere.com/ It's Getting Ugly Out There] - Cafferty site.
* [http://www.givecaffertyashow.com/ Campaign to Give Jack Cafferty a Show]
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