The cable news networks went into high gear around 9:45amET this morning on word that Pres. Obama made an unscheduled stop in Baghdad.
ABC News and NBC News also produced network special reports at 9:48amET. The one broadcast network that did not air a special report was CBS. As it turns out, their correspondent, Chip Reid was the pool reporter on the Baghdad trip.
In fact he filed an audio report at 9:52amET for any network that wanted to take it – CNN and MSNBC did. Other network correspondents who’d been traveling with the President remained in Istanbul and filed reports from there, while CNN and Fox news also used their Baghdad correspondents for live reports.
As for Reid, his father passed away last week after the CBS reporter had left for the presidential trip. Pres. Obama expressed his condolences during a news conference in London last Thursday.
Insiders tell us CBS News was the pool for this leg of the trip which is why Reid was the only network correspondent to travel to Baghdad.