CNN President Chris Licht is allegedly evaluating whether liberal staffers and hosts such as Jim Acosta and Brian Stelter are too partisan for the future of the network, according to an Axios report Tuesday.
Licht reportedly wants to give the network’s liberal-leaning talent an opportunity to adjust to a more bipartisan tone in their reportage, Axios claimed, citing three sources familiar with the matter. The sources stated that while Licht doesn’t want to move away from personality programming entirely, he does want to ensure that the network is not defined by partisan voices that harm CNN, Axios continued.
Licht joined the network earlier this year after his predecessor Jeff Zucker stepped down amid tanking viewership and the revelation of his extramarital affair with Chief Marketing Officer Allison Gollust. Under Zucker’s tenure, CNN’s output leaned sharply to the left, Fox News noted.
New CNN Head Admits He Considers Himself A ‘Roadside Bomb’ When Employees Mess Up https://t.co/4uWJrn6LLR
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) March 1, 2022
Licht allegedly told employees that CNN overuses the “Breaking News” banner, and wrote in a note obtained by Axios that “we are truth-tellers, focused on informing, not alarming our viewers.” (RELATED: CNN Accidentally Sends Welcome Packages To Laid-Off Employees)
The shift in style will also reportedly apply to staffers, and anyone who cannot adjust “could be ousted,” Axios continued. While the outlet noted that Acosta and Stelter are examples of those who’ve driven the liberal shift in CNN’s reportage, an insider at the network argued that neither host is necessarily on the chopping board, Fox reported.