Aaron Brown: Axed for criticizing celebrity coverage

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The former CNN anchor spoke in Oregon and described cable news anchors as "highly paid piece(s) of meat."

http://www.mailtribune.com/archive/2006/0302/local/stories/07local.htm

Former CNN anchor Aaron Brown had an epiphany following his network’s saturation coverage of the 2001 murder of actor Robert Blake’s wife.

The crowd that packed SOU’s Rogue River Room Wednesday night listened as Brown recalled shuffling home at 3 a.m. after a four- hour tour of duty reporting in excruciating detail a low-level celebrity shooting on the day four Canadian soldiers died in Afghanistan. His wife was waiting up for him with only one question: Why?

"I am sure there were other things we could’ve reported that night," Brown said.

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He suggested his eventual demise at CNN resulted from criticizing the network’s obsession with lurid celebrity gossip while short-changing meaningful news.

He compared such "breaking news" to heroin — it’s good for a while, but will eventually make you feel used and dirty.