On September 24, Senator John Kerry delivered a speech outlining his plans to fight a “more effective war on terror.” CNN and MSNBC carried the speech live to its finish; FOX News Channel cut out eleven minutes early to cover President George W. Bush's morning activities.

Rather than continuing live coverage of Kerry's speech, FOX News Channel aired a tape of Bush remarking on relief efforts in Beslan, Russia, and showed photos taken earlier in the morning at the White House of Bush swearing in Porter Goss as the new director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).