Wolf Blitzer was in crisis mode, warning computer users to protect themselves. Paula Zahn started her program by reporting on crashing PCs in the CNN newsroom. And Charles Gibson talked about needing to use ABC's old typewriters.
The latest Windows worm, Zotob, was notable in part because its victims included some major media organizations. Although a variety of businesses were struck by the worm, it created a particularly challenging situation for the broadcast media, which found itself reporting in real time on a problem that was hitting very close to home.
"We are continuing our coverage of tonight's big story: A computer worm that is spreading havoc in systems all over the world," Zahn told viewers at the outset of her Tuesday show, according to a CNN transcript. "Here is exactly what we know right now: Someone has unleashed a worm that cripples computers by forcing them to continuously shut down and restart. It's been a wild scene around our newsroom today because of that."
Earlier, on CNN's "Situation Room," Blitzer had called the worm a "potentially huge story."
