NEW YORK, Jan. 2, 2007

Oops! CNN Mixes Up Obama And Osama

Cable News Network Apologizes For Headline That Confuses Illinois Senator With Terror Kingpin

    • CNN has apologized for mistakenly printing Photo

      CNN has apologized for mistakenly printing "Where's Obama" to promote a story on the search for Osama bin Laden.  (CNN)

    • Sen. Barak Obama Photo

      Sen. Barak Obama  (AP Photo)

    • Osama bin Laden Photo

      Osama bin Laden  (AP / CBS)

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(AP)  CNN apologized Tuesday for mistakenly promoting a story on the search for Osama bin Laden with the headline "Where's Obama?"

A spokesman for Illinois Sen. Barack Obama said the apology was accepted.

The blunder came Monday evening on Wolf Blitzer's news show, "The Situation Room." Both Soledad O'Brien and Blitzer offered separate apologies during CNN's morning show on Tuesday.

CNN called it a "bad typographical error" by its graphics department.

"We want to apologize for that bad typo," Blitzer said. "We also want to apologize personally to Sen. Barack Obama. I'm going to be making a call to him later this morning to offer my personal apology."

Tommy Vietor, Obama's press secretary, said he appreciated the bloggers and activists who brought the error to light so quickly and helped make sure it was corrected.

"Though I'd note that the 's' and 'b' keys aren't all that close to each other, I assume it was just an unfortunate mistake and don't think there was any truly malicious intent," Vietor said.


© MMVII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Add a Comment See all 26 Comments
by jonw1115 January 2, 2007 4:28 PM PST
Oh please! This is free press for Obama. It makes you wonder if it were a mistake at all. Anything to get your name out there!
Reply to this comment
by cbgb31 January 2, 2007 4:36 PM PST
Right. More media horing
Reply to this comment
by bill1fj January 2, 2007 4:44 PM PST
I've heard that the people in IL have often said
"Where's Obama".
Reply to this comment
by grazinggoat January 2, 2007 4:53 PM PST
This is a great error. Obama is running into big trouble because of some media players who are trying to portray him as a terrorist because of the muslim tradition of his Kenyan African roots. This joke is not funny, and quite detrimental to Obama's fair running to Democrat's Leadership. It's good to know that a huge chunk of the African-Americans ascendants (First slaves brought to America by Europeans) belonged to the Muslim faith.
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by jonw1115 January 2, 2007 4:55 PM PST
grazinggoat,

Please notice the advertising links for Obama next to this article. You can't tell me he isn't getting some good press for this. I am sure his chances for the presidency are not hurt anymore than before this blunder. At least Kerry didn't tell do this, no telling where that would have went!
Reply to this comment
by grazinggoat January 2, 2007 5:20 PM PST
jonw1115,
quite sure it's coming from the GOPs. Painting the Democrats as Party that allows minorities to stick in and express their views regardless to National Security.

Nowadays, Islam is not very well reputed as a religion in the American media. In other words, CNN is tagging Obama as a 'threat to a traditionally-christian country'.

Can you see the link now ?
Reply to this comment
by huskerarmy January 2, 2007 5:51 PM PST
jonw1115,

Do you have any evidence at all that it was not simply a mistake or is that sheer hateful, mindless speculation on your part? And why would Obama need to do something like this on purpose when the GOPer racists have already been playing around with the similarity of names? See bil1fj's post above "Where is Obama?"
Reply to this comment
by agnim January 2, 2007 6:03 PM PST
Mistake my arse.

That mischievious person who typed in the word knew or should have known exactly what he was doing!
Reply to this comment
by jn122736 January 2, 2007 6:15 PM PST
I'm reminded of an old saying; the only thing worse for a Politian than bad press is no press. Come to think of CNN isn%u2019t doing too bad here either.
Reply to this comment
by jn122736 January 2, 2007 6:20 PM PST
"Come to think of CNN isn%u2019t doing too bad here either."

Oops I left out the it in my sentence even though I proof read it.

Just goes to show that when you proof read your own material you generally read what you thought you had written.
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by jonw1115 January 2, 2007 6:27 PM PST
Just saying there is no such thing as bad press. In no way is my post hateful, I would say the same thing regardless of the person's political affiliation. I will leave it up to you conspiracy theorists to spin it further and blame the GOP.
Reply to this comment
by Syndicate January 2, 2007 7:59 PM PST
Any one of us here could do a better job than the people who write this stuff. If we want to invent conspiracy theories this is mine. This was a conspiracy between Obamma's campaing and CNN. Cnn agreed to slam Obama in a very offensive way. Then CNN would apolagize on air. Wait it gets better then Obama with every right to be mad as all hell, graciously accepts the apology. His star rises.
Reply to this comment
by comfortmd1 January 2, 2007 9:05 PM PST
it took a court order for cnn and wolf blitzer to stop calling foley a democrat, when he had been a republican his entire life. i wouldn't be surprised if this was merely another attempt on cnn's part to demonize democrats yet again.
Reply to this comment
by cmayes2 January 2, 2007 10:08 PM PST
This was not a blunder, but deliberate. I hope Senator obama can take the heat.
Reply to this comment
by cbgb31 January 2, 2007 10:24 PM PST
Sounds about right,CBScrash. Aren't you sick of being played by the media?
Reply to this comment
by lucasnico January 2, 2007 10:26 PM PST
you usually have to tune in fox to get such a misguided slant
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by thewhiteman4 January 2, 2007 11:07 PM PST
Why is everyone thinking that Barack Obama was insulted. Is he the only one in the world named Obama. He lays sole claim to the name Obama. Everyone named Obama should hold a news conference and accept the apology of CNN.
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by jlmcscanner January 2, 2007 11:37 PM PST
This is just a bunch of bull, Obama is just a modern version of Jesse Jackson circa 1988, all the media hype is for nothing.I will say however Obama does have a real career unlike Jesse (What does he do for a living??? Has he ever had a real job ???).The logistics of this make it almost impossible as we all know people vote to people that look like they do, that`s just a fact not a good one but a fact.I predict he will do well early then the Democratic parties attack dogs will marginalize him and he can at best get 10% to 15% of the Democratic parties votes.
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by johangelo123 January 2, 2007 11:42 PM PST
Obama is indeed a very rear breed. Such class in not going off the cuff for a seemingly intentional comment. He accepted the apology and as a direct result showed the quality of a true man. I will vote for him in an instant. Obama has what it takes! He has that spiritual intangible.
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by bildooreilly January 3, 2007 2:20 AM PST
Obama better be looking for another job because he'll never get re-elected in Illinois... Talk about a worthless piece of ***... he gets elected then goes and writes two books and travels around africa and then goes around speaking in various other states, I'm still wondering when he'll ever get around to doing the job he was elected for.... The only reason he won is because his opponent was Alan Keyes and he was the lightest skinned black on the ballot and that's the sad truth....
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by bluestardad January 3, 2007 7:59 AM PST
Where is Osama Bin Laden? Did the Saudis tell the Bush Administration hands off him?
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by huskerarmy January 3, 2007 9:12 AM PST
"This is just a bunch of bull, Obama is just a modern version of Jesse Jackson...
people vote to people that look like they do, that`s just a fact."

jlmscanner,

You, whiteman and bildooreilly may think that way but, Obama is very popular on this side of the isle. And in case you can't see it, the Dems will not need to marginalize Obama since they will have so many bigoted GOPers doing it. Jesse Jackson? Humm, I understand why you want to make the comparison but shame, shame. Do you have any idea how tired all this reactionary GOPer code is?
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by huskerarmy January 3, 2007 9:20 AM PST
"I'm reminded of an old saying; the only thing worse for a Politian than bad press is no press."

That's right... Obama draws huge crowds everywhere he goes and he needs to fabricate a story like this in order to get press? Are you bigots so intellectually lazy now days that your attacks don't have to show even a pretense of reason?
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by huskerarmy January 3, 2007 9:34 AM PST
"Obama better be looking for another job because he'll never get re-elected in Illinois..."
If I were a betting man, I'd jump all over that bet.
"Talk about a worthless piece of ***..."
Coming from someone names Oreilly, I'd say that bodes well for Obama.
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by karateman39 January 3, 2007 12:40 PM PST
Who really cares? It's just a stupid story that should never have seen the light of day. If this affects the way people think and vote and read into this to much then they need help.
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by kailumego1 January 3, 2007 8:31 PM PST
Fartknocker, are you still torned over your brother's [Ted Bundy]execution, is that why you have developed "DEMENTIA", and confused between the two. I hope you heal real soon, after all, your brother Ted Bundy was executed some 15+ years ago.
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