What is CNN effect?

The CNN effect is a theory which claims that Cable News Network (CNN) had a major impact on the conduct of states foreign policy in the late Cold War period.
While the free press has always had an influence on policy-making in representative democracies, proponents of the CNN effect argue that “the extent, depth, and speed of the new global media have created a new species of effects” qualitatively different from those which preceded them historically.

The MacBride report, published in 1980, also stresses on the theory. One of its postulates mentions: News reporting in the developing world reflects the priorities of news agencies in London, Paris and New York.

In the next few days, we will have a brief overview of how the CNN is having its influence on the reporting of news in India.