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CNN’s top stars, including Jake Tapper, Erin Burnett, and Wolf Blitzer, have reportedly “lost confidence” in CNN CEO Chris Licht.
The Daily Beast’s Confider newsletter called Licht a “dead man talking” on Monday, citing “the damning judgment from dozens of CNN on-air talent, producers, and journalists” who spoke to the news outlet.
The newsletter listed Tapper, Burnett, and Blitzer as some of the “CNN bedrocks” who had allegedly “lost confidence in the boss.”
One unnamed staffer told Confider, “Perhaps the parent company can tolerate shitty management at CNN. But how long will they stomach lousy ratings and shrinking revenue?”
CNN staffers were reportedly upset this past week after Licht was profiled by the Atlantic in an article that questioned how Licht’s “mission to restore the network’s reputation for serious journalism” went so “wrong.”
According to the Daily Beast, Licht apologized to staffers on Monday and said he “should not be in the news unless it’s taking arrows.”
“CNN is not about me,” he said. “I fully recognize that this news cycle and my role in it overshadowed the incredible week of reporting that we just had and distracted from the work of every single journalist in this organization. And for that, I am sorry.”
Licht also reportedly told staffers he would “fight like hell” to regain “those whose trust I’ve lost.”
After it was announced last week that David Leavy would become the new COO of CNN, former CNN chief media correspondent Brian Stelter — who was fired by Licht last year — spoke to several unnamed CNN staffers who said Licht was “done” in the aftermath of the Atlantic’s profile.
“He’s over,” said one staffer, while another said, “There’s no coming back from that profile.”
Licht’s attempts to take CNN in a more centrist direction have received criticism from some since his appointment as CEO in 2022, and the criticism was amplified following the network’s decision to host a town hall with former President Donald Trump last month — despite the event being a monumental ratings hit.
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