Former Dateline NBC correspondent slams the network's news reporting

Other disappointments during his tenure with NBC included a story on a mentally ill inmate who died of asphyxiation, a story that was made insignificant by the way it was presented, in Hockenberry's mind. NBC passed up a story about how technology is intertwined with war, evident in the blogging of front-line soldiers. He claims he wanted to pursue a story on Osama Bin Laden's family, but that GE had strong business ties with the family and the story idea was squashed.

Hockenberry's message is clear: Real news and real reporting are out. Audience appeal and ratings are in. Is that really surprising, however? Even news organizations are still businesses, after all. While striving to report news objectively and fairly is a noble goal, the business of news is still a business. And ratings and advertising revenue are probably the single largest factor driving television networks. Is it surprising that the producers of the news shows are looking for the stories that are emotional and that draw in viewers?

NBC thoroughly slams Hockenberry for his piece. An NBC spokesperson is quoted as saying, "It's unfortunate that John Hockenberry seems to be so far out of touch with reality. The comments are so utterly absurd, we will have no further comment."

Tracy L. Coenen, CPA, MBA, CFE performs fraud examinations and financial investigations for her company Sequence Inc. Forensic Accounting, and is the author of Essentials of Corporate Fraud.