CNN State Of the Union Coverage Bumped By Christopher Dorner Standoff

Impact

CNN was supposed begin its live coverage of President Obama's State of the Union address at 7 pm, but the news network, along with MSNBC and Fox News, is providing live updates of the standoff between police and alleged serial killer Christopher Dorner in the San Bernardino Mountains. Dorner was reportedly pinned down in a cabin, which has since caught fire and was fully engulfed in flames. 

Although the State of the Union is a much-heralded (though ultimately substance-less) exercise in American governance, the Dorner standoff makes for far more riveting television. Any time a news network has the chance to cover a live firefight between a notorious serial killer and law enforcement officials, it doesn't much matter what else is going on. Of course, once the State of the Union speech begins at 9 pm, all the news networks will undoubtedly turn their attention to the Capitol building, where Obama will address a joint session of Congress.