The “exclusive” CNN report on Saturday that mistook a flag showing sex toys for that of the Islamic State was only the latest in a series of fails by the network. From jumping the gun on the supreme court’s healthcare ruling in 2012 to overreacting to a blizzard that never quite happened, here are five other CNN gaffes:
1. Suspect sources
CNN was not alone in April 2013 when it falsely reported that a suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings had been arrested. The network stuck to the story long after the FBI said it was “inaccurate”.
2. Due care and attention
CNN got it wrong in June 2012, when it reported “supreme ct kills individual mandate” on its breaking news banner. In fact, the supreme court had entirely upheld President Barack Obama’s healthcare law. The mistake was fixed within minutes, but not before the error had gone viral.
3. Snow joke
In January 2015, in the face of winter storm Juno, the apocalypse that failed to occur, a ban on non-emergency vehicles driving the streets of New York did not deter CNN anchor Don Lemon from riding around the mostly deserted streets in what the channel called a “Blizzardmobile”, pointing out when other vehicles were breaking the law.
4. Hacked off
Following a mass hacking of celebrity photos in August 2014, CNN anchors debated the identity of the online bulletin board 4Chan, with their technology analyst appearing to believe the website was a person: “He may have been just a system administrator who knew his way around and how to hack things.”
5. Off the map
In a geographical glitch, in a CNN report on severe hornet attacks in China, Hong Kong left Asia and joined South America.
