Why in hell did CNN give Donald Trump a full hour of prime-time television before an audience of ardent supporters who applauded every lie and laughed at every sexist insult?
The germ of an answer could be found last August, when Chris Licht, CNN’s new chairman and CEO, canceled Brian Stelter’s Sunday show, “Reliable Sources,” which had been a reliable source of intelligent criticism of Fox News, right-wing media in general, Trumpism, and the increasingly authoritarian lurch of the Republican party.
Licht also fired Stelter and his staff.
The show had been commercially successful. It was doing better than several of CNN’s prime-time shows.
Around the same time, Licht told CNN staff they should stop referring to Donald Trump’s “big lie” because the phrase sounded like a Democratic party talking point. Licht also told the staff he wanted more “straight news reporting,” along with more conservative guests.
Why?
Follow the money. CNN’s new corporate overseer is Warner Bros. Discovery Inc, whose CEO is David Zaslav.
Zaslav has been pushing Licht to reposition CNN to […]
Good take on the situation with CNN…They lost my confidence in accurate reporting a couple of years ago…Bye Bye CNN (for me at least)…
I will never watch CNN again!
This article is excellent in that it highlights how major “news” organizations in the country have ceased fulfilling that function, and serve instead as propaganda operations. This further alienates the population who witnesses their legitimate concerns being ignored.