As we told you yesterday, CNN threw its CEO Chris Licht overboard in an attempt to save themselves from sinking.
More:
Now, after a year of leadership missteps, programming misfires, a disastrous Trump town hall and the near-total decimation of staff morale in the wake of a chilling all-access Atlantic story, Licht will be vacating the C.E.O. position. In the next 48 hours, I’m told, Warner Bros. Discovery will announce that Licht will be stepping down as chairman and C.E.O. of CNN, ostensibly bringing an end to one of the most turbulent periods in the network’s 43-year history.
Former CNN media correspondent Brian Stelter has explained what CNN needs to do next, and do any current or former CNN hosts have any self-awareness whatsoever?
The point: There is no way to turn the clock back to 1995. We live in an age that requires a muscular form of TV journalism, one that defends truth against a torrent of lies — and accepts that the truth-telling will spur backlash from some viewers…
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) June 8, 2023
Backstory: I pitched this column to the Post before Licht was fired. I rewrote it today to note that Licht was never fully in charge of the network. His boss David Zaslav, the CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, was — and still is…
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) June 8, 2023
Stelter says a “both sides” approach is a bad idea:
Journalists and other employees up and down CNN are wondering what Zaslav wants the network to be. Many are concerned that he will remain committed to a “both sides” vision that sounds strategically wise in the boardroom but tactically fails on live TV…
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) June 8, 2023
Doing the “both sides” thing doesn’t work, and make sure you’re not drinking anything before this next one:
The point: There is no way to turn the clock back to 1995. We live in an age that requires a muscular form of TV journalism, one that defends truth against a torrent of lies — and accepts that the truth-telling will spur backlash from some viewers…
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) June 8, 2023
A call for a “truth-telling strategy” from the former host of a show called “Reliable Sources” who interviewed the likes of Dan Rather and Michael Avenatti? Interesting.
Here's a text the staff can use to begin that discussion. It's Jake Tapper on CNN (with Berman and Keilar, May 4 2021):
"If they're willing to lie [about] the election, what are they not willing to lie about? Why should I put any of them on TV?" https://t.co/gUoYiKJEHO pic.twitter.com/ipuxjYgHme
— Jay Rosen (@jayrosen_nyu) June 8, 2023
@jaketapper was right then, and now
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) June 8, 2023
What that before or after Tapper interviewed Adam Schiff many times and allowed him to push the “Russia collusion” narrative continuously?
This is the network that pushed the Russian Collusion myth. This is the network that dismissed the Hunter laptop story as Russian disinformation.
What was that about a torrent of lies, Tater? https://t.co/BghNjVFMNg
— Blue State Snooze (@BlueSnoozeBlue) June 8, 2023
"Muscular" is a funny word to describe screechy.
As I've said to Brian in person, this "torrent of lies" line fails when it turns back to the Clintons. Has CNN ever been "muscular" on them? Were they "muscular" on Biden saying Republicans were "Jim Crow 2.0"? https://t.co/csT0w95n30
— Tim Graham (@TimJGraham) June 8, 2023
https://t.co/JkudQCc0cJ pic.twitter.com/36jZu2QPXZ
— Extremely Careless (@Shanghaibeast) June 8, 2023
“Truth telling” as a mantra for partisan “journalists” ends up feeling like working for Ds and against Rs. See Lemon, Cuomo, Harwood and you. https://t.co/fDcUZ17buv
— John Gibson (@GibsonRadio) June 8, 2023
As usual, it depends on what your definition of “truth” is. On CNN these last few years the “truth” was anything that fit the Democrat narrative, which was of course mostly untrue.
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