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CNN Live At Daybreak

Journalism With a Humorous Edge

Aired September 04, 2001 - 07:53   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: Well, here's proof that we in the news business don't have thin skins. We have a new book here and it makes fun of the headlines and it's written by the same people who do "The Onion" newspaper. So here to talk more about "Dispatches From the Tenth Circle" is Robert Siegel. He is the editor-in-chief of "The Onion" and Robert, our graphics department was busy, so I'm just going to hold the book up. Here it is. This is what it looks like.

And it starts -- oh, and you've got your own copy, too. Great. Well, listen, in the introduction, I'm looking at this by T. Herman Zwiebel (ph), and talk about a ringing endorsement. He says, "I have no illusions concerning the so-called romance of journalism. The collection you are holding is a sham, a fraud and a waste of your hard earned money." Nice sell.

ROBERT SIEGEL, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, "THE ONION": Thank you.

LIN: What is this really about?

SIEGEL: It's basically a collection of our most award winning journalism, essentially.

LIN: And is this journalism? I mean are these really true stories?

SIEGEL: Absolutely. Why...

LIN: Go ahead.

SIEGEL: What do you mean by that?

LIN: Well, are they real? I mean are these actually pulled from the headlines or are these more like bloopers or drafts?

SIEGEL: Are your stories real?

LIN: Absolutely. We are the world's news leader.

SIEGEL: OK, then we're on the same page here.

LIN: All right. Well, being on the same page, why don't you share some of those pages? I'm looking at something called "New Smokable Nicotine Sticks." What's this about? SIEGEL: That's basically a, it's sort of a nicotine filled cylinder that when you put it in your mouth and light it, it gives you a nicotine charge similar to cigarettes, essentially.

LIN: And where do you find this one?

SIEGEL: Where do you find that product?

LIN: Where did you find this article?

SIEGEL: Oh, well, we wrote it. We reported on it. We got a lot of, actually, a lot of doctors were calling us asking where they could get them for their patients.

LIN: Yes, it says available in regular and menthol, legal for minors and available wherever cigarettes are sold.

SIEGEL: It's essentially like a nicotine patch but it does a better job of simulating the smoking experience.

LIN: And you raised the question should HMOs cover the drug. What about this one, "Executive Quits Fast Track To Spend More Time With Possessions."

SIEGEL: That's just a feature story about a guy who's sort of reexamining his priorities.

LIN: Reexamining his priorities?

SIEGEL: Yes.

LIN: Like what kind of possessions?

SIEGEL: His cars, his homes, his boats, that sort of thing. And being a really busy executive over the years he never really got to spend the quality time he wanted to. So now he's stepping down.

LIN: And there's something else called "Funions Still Outselling Responsibilitions."

SIEGEL: Right. There was a new product launched by Frito-Lay called Responsibilitions, which is basically a snack chip that encourages -- it's a snack chip that encourages thrift and hard work and discipline, which didn't take off the way the funions did.

LIN: Yes, you bet.

SIEGEL: Unfortunately.

LIN: Well, so I take it you never have trouble coming up with material?

SIEGEL: No. No. We, there's always something to report on, a shark attack or a, you know, summit of some sort.

LIN: Yes, no sacred ground there, huh? SIEGEL: No.

LIN: Well, who are you guys? I mean who are the writers and what are your qualifications?

SIEGEL: We're basically supremely unqualified. Most of us have backgrounds in the food service industry, sub prep, sub sandwich preparation, dish washing, that sort of thing. We don't really come from the traditional comedy writing background. Most comedy writers come from, you know, go to Harvard and write for "The Lampoon" or something like that and, you know, intern on "Conan O'Brien" and we're basically just, the majority of the staff is just working stiffs who kind of fell into this strange thing.

LIN: Always the best kind.

SIEGEL: Right.

LIN: And CNN isn't even sacred territory. Do you find that we're funny, too?

SIEGEL: Yes.

LIN: We don't get a lot of humor in the newsroom, usually.

SIEGEL: You don't ever, are you going to show the, are you alluding to a certain story?

LIN: Yes. Let's see if we've got this one. "CNN Still Releasing News Piled Up During Elian Gonzalez Saga."

SIEGEL: Yes, that was basically over the six months when the whole Elian thing was going on. There was a lot of news stories that you guys had to bump in order to devote the full coverage that Elian so richly deserved. So, for example, the Dali Lama died about eight months ago, which is something that we just found out once the Elian thing got wrapped up.

LIN: Well, you know, if you ever feel like you're missing out on something, we always have "Headline News."

SIEGEL: Yes.

LIN: Thanks so much, Robert Siegel, "Dispatches from the Tenth Circle."

SIEGEL: Let me show it, too.

LIN: There you go, just in case you missed the cover.

SIEGEL: It's in bookstores now.

LIN: Gotcha. We'll see you on the Web.

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