Cable News Late With NY Governor Eliot Spitzer's Prostitution Scandal

Let's give credit to the New York Times for breaking another major story with news that New York's Governor Eliot Spitzer hired a prostitute. (Is anyone noticing that the 'Times' is working it's way back into mainstream conversation more and more these days.) You would expect CNN, FOX or MSNBC would have picked up on the story next after the news broke on the 'Times' website. But alas, an assignment editor at CNBC noticed the news first, alerted producers and got it on the air a full 10 minutes before the cable NEWS networks. The man/woman deserves an extra pat on the back and maybe a little bonus!

Here's the time line according to TVNewser:
2:07 - CNBC reports Spitzer investigation
2:08 - nothing from CNN, MSNBC or FOX News
2:09 - FOX Business and Bloomberg jump on board
2:10 - nothing from CNN, MSNBC or FOX News
2:11 - nothing from CNN, MSNBC or FOX News
2:12 - nothing from CNN, MSNBC or FOX News
2:13 - nothing from CNN, MSNBC or FOX News
2:14 - nothing from CNN, MSNBC or FOX News
2:15 - nothing from CNN, MSNBC or FOX News
2:16 - nothing from CNN, MSNBC or FOX News
2:17 - Finally.. the cable NEWS nets start reporting this.

Good assignment desk editors are usually unsung heroes of newsrooms. In this case, the CNBC editor was on top of it! Cable NEWS nets must have been scrambling for this news. In perspective, it's another politician caught in his own web. It's a headline for a news cycle. Beyond that, it's more of politicians gone wrong. BUT, cable news managers should scratch their heads wondering why is took them so long to realize that their business channel competitors were so far ahead of them... nevermind the fact that the New York Times broke the story before everyone. The ins and outs of daily 'breaking news' are really just prepartion for major breaking news that affects peoples lives... 9/11 is the best example of a horrible event. No one should panic but asking questions about why it took CNN, FOX and MSNBC so long to report this news is a fair point.