(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Former President Donald Trump’s highly anticipated CNN town hall continues to stir controversy among leftist journalists within the network, as a number of them express their dismay with CEO Chris Licht’s plans to shift the network towards a more centrist stance.
Licht’s willingness to engage with Republicans after years of CNN constantly tarnishing the entirety of the conservative movement has triggered outrage among these employees, leading to a series of surprising revelations this week.
In an apparent response to mounting criticism, Licht has ceased his authority over business operations at the far-left outlet to David Leavy, who now serves as CNN’s chief operating officer. Puck News reported on Friday that confidence in Licht’s leadership has “wavered considerably.” According to Mediaite, Licht told his employees that he would no longer be involved in managing business operations.
The captain of the Titanic steps aside. CNN CEO Chris Licht has ceded control of business operations to David Leavy, chief corporate officer for CNN’s parent company. In Licht’s year as CEO, CNN’s ratings, revenue, and reputation have plummeted. pic.twitter.com/bvw0JicaTt
— Mike Sington (@MikeSington) June 3, 2023
After joining CNN, known for its anti-Trump commentary, Licht took charge following the controversial ousting of Jeff Zucker, CNN’s former network executive who came under for a relationship with a subordinate. In a scathing report by The Atlantic‘s Tim Alberta, Licht accused Zucker of undermining the network and alienating conservatives by consistently criticizing Trump.
Licht was reportedly responsible for the firing of “diva-like” Don Lemon and Brian Stelter, a disgruntled former host who now spends most of time on Twitter attacking his former employer.
Despite facing resistance, Licht approved a town hall featuring Trump and CNN host Kaitlan Collins, a former blogger for the Daily Caller. However, the event did not unfold as planned, with Trump’s forceful policy positions overshadowing Collins’ performance, according to both Trump supporters and critics alike.
I spent stretches of the past year shadowing Chris Licht, the new boss at CNN, who harbored ambitions of rehabilitating the journalism industry.
This is an account — based on interviews with nearly 100 of his own reporters — of what went wrong.https://t.co/Um1YNzXaLF
— Tim Alberta (@TimAlberta) June 2, 2023
Alberta reported that Collins struggled to “match” the environment she was “thrust into.” Albert also added, “Squaring off one-on-one against the country’s most accomplished trickster is difficult enough, but this was 300-on-one. The result was a campaign infomercial: Trump the populist champion, slaying his old nemesis and asserting to televised fanfare his claim to the presidency.”
Live look at CNN pic.twitter.com/GJNLJ0onAO
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) June 3, 2023
Throughout the town hall, Trump vehemently criticized fake news and received enthusiastic applause from the audience in response to his policy proposals.
