April 27, 2001 01:20pm
CNN Goes Ahead With Thompson Hire
Source: The Industry Standard
by: Cory Johnson
After much internal debate and hand-wringing, CNN has decided to go ahead with its controversial hire of actress Andrea Thompson, despite this week's discovery of nude pictures in an art magazine and an erotic film featuring the former star of ABC's NYPD Blue.
In a prepared statement, Thompson said: "I did pose for Black & White Magazine, a prestigious artistic publication, several years ago. I did this as a piece of art and make no apologies for any and all of the creative decisions I've made as an artist in my 20-year career." Thompson did not respond to a request for an interview.
The hire of Thompson drew much criticism in journalism circles, not because of her experience as an actress, but because of her lack of experience as a journalist. Thompson, who was hired to be both an anchor and a national correspondent, is a high-school dropout and has worked as a reporter for just one year. Thompson joined CBS affiliate KRQE in Albuquerque , N.M, last April, turning her back on a 20-year career as a model and actress in TV shows including Baywatch, JAG, Silk Stalkings and movies such as A Gun, a Car, a Blonde, in which she had the title role, and Oliver Stone's Wall Street, where she had the role of a prostitute. She is best known for her four years as NYPD Blue's raspy-voiced Detective Jill Kirkendall
"We accept Andrea Thompson's explanation regarding the photos in question," said CNN spokeswoman Edna Johnson. "We hired Andrea, who we feel is a promising journalist, as an anchor for Headline News."
On Thursday night, TheStandard.com reported that CNN executives were reconsidering the decision to hire Thompson.
CNN knew of Thompson's dramatic work. But sources at CNN say the network faced an unexpected dilemma this week when it discovered topless pictures of Thompson circulating on the Internet. Most troubling, it seems, was their discovery of Thompson's nude scenes in a 1986 Italian erotic film called Manhattan Gigolo.
The hiring comes as the cable network struggles to maintain its leadership over upstart rivals such as CNBC, Fox News and MSNBC -- all of which have posted significant gains during the past year. After CNN parent company Time Warner merged with America Online in January, the company decided to lay off approximately 1 of every 10 staffers, including some experienced correspondents such as Detroit's Ed Garsten, Los Angeles' Greg LaMotte, San Francisco's Greg Lefevre, Dallas' Charles Zewe and 17-year veteran anchor Beverly Schuch.
Critics say the network that long boasted "the news is the star" is putting a new emphasis on stars doing the news, as a way to boost ratings.
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