Town Hall to the Global Village

Rival news networks may be piqued at CNNs exclusive broadcast rights for todays international town hall meeting with the administrations national security team, but CNN appears to have become an integral part of the events it covers. Indeed, the White House approached the network to host todays event partly in order to ensure that its seen in Baghdad.

As much as it can be useful to the White House, CNNs 24-hour news format has also made life difficult for the nations leaders in times of conflict. It has compressed the time frame of events, requiring more rapid decision-making, says TIME Pentagon correspondent Mark Thompson. And it has also shortened the publics patience -- TV leaves people demanding a quick resolution to a complex long-term problem.

At the same time, warns TIME U.N. correspondent William Dowell, television presents an incomplete picture of international conflict. What youre seeing on TV is what both sides want to show to the public, says Dowell. Neither side is verbalizing its true strategies on CNN. Back to you, Frank.