CNN Boss Slams 'Name-Calling & Half-Truths' From Left That 'Pass for News'
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Since taking over as head of CNN in May, Chris Licht has rejected speculation that changes he oversaw were tailored to render the cable news network more centrist, saying in November that reporting needed to be “compelling.” “In many cases you take a side... But either way you don’t see it through a lens of left or right,” Licht said.
Chris Licht, who took over from Jeff Zucker as CEO of multinational cable news channel CNN in May 2022, has pushed back at the invective directed at him from the left.
"The uninformed vitriol, especially from the left, has been stunning. Which proves my point: so much of what passes for news is name-calling, half-truths and desperation,” Licht told US media.
Entrusted with carrying out a series of staffing and programming changes to recalibrate the network’s editorial direction, he yet again denied he was opting for a more centrist direction.
According to the new CNN chief, he wanted the network to offer a “rational conversation about polarizing issues,” allowing viewers to “take what they’ve heard to the dinner table and have a discussion.”
“That’s a dream of mine,” Licht added.
CNN CEO Chris Licht attends the World premiere of the HBO original drama series "House of the Dragon" at the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles, July 27, 2022.
© CHRIS DELMAS
Licht's personnel changes have sparked criticism. He ousted such personalities as anchor Brian Stelter, political commentator Chris Cillizza, and former White House correspondent for CNN John Harwood, known for their sharp criticism of former President Donald Trump.
The Warner Bros. Discovery-owned cable news channel has also seen tweaks to its morning lineup: host Don Lemon, another Trump critic, lost his primetime slot. Licht had him moved to “CNN This Morning” with Kaitlyn Collins and Poppy Harlow.
"We are truth-tellers, focused on informing, not alarming our viewers,” Licht was reported as telling staff in a memo in summer.
Furthermore, Warner Bros. Discovery has faced the need to adopt cost-cutting measures, with layoffs and other budget cuts, as advertising and pay-TV subscriber fees plummet due to Americans increasingly leaning towards streaming services.
When accused earlier of "centrist" reporting ambitions ostensibly driving his personnel and programming changes, Chris Licht said:
"One of the biggest misconceptions about my vision is that I want to be vanilla, that I want to be centrist. That is bullsh*t. You have to be compelling. You have to have edge. In many cases you take a side. Sometimes you just point out uncomfortable questions. But either way you don’t see it through a lens of left or right.”
