UPDATE: CNN used information from the personal handwritten journal of the slain U.S. ambassador to Libya in newscasts against his family’s wishes — and without disclosing it to viewers. The Wall Street Journal reported today that relatives of Ambassador Christopher Stevens asked the State Department to intervene. CNN said it found the journal inside the U.S. consulate in Libya four days after the September 11 attack that killed the ambassador and three other Americans. CNN said it had notified Stevens’ family at once and arranged to give them the journal. State Department officials said CNN’s actions were “disgusting.” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s senior adviser Philippe Reines scoffed that it was “not a proud moment in CNN’s history”. In response to the criticism CNN issued a statement late Saturday that the network did not initially report on the existence of a journal “out of respect for the family, but we felt there were issues raised in the journal which required full reporting.”

CNN host Anderson Cooper admitted Friday on his show (see video below) that the network on Wednesday broadcast reports based on Stevens’ journal without revealing the source. Last night Cooper disclosed to his viewers what CNN had done but did not include that it was against the family wishes. Here is a clip from Anderson’s Friday broadcast:

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