Photo:Mike Coppola/Getty
Mike Coppola/Getty
CNN CEO Chris Licht told employees he would “fight like hell” to win back their trust, just days after ascathingAtlanticprofiledocumented his first year on the job, in the process heightening concerns among network staffers about his leadership abilities.
“To those whose trust I’ve lost, I will fight like hell to win it back, because you deserve a leader who will be in the trenches, fighting to ensure CNN remains the world’s most trusted name in news,” Licht said on a Monday morning editorial call, according to journalist Brian Stelter, who reported inNew York Magazinethat staffers at the network “appreciated his humility.”
Stelter (who previously worked at CNN) reported that Licht acknowledged theAtlanticprofile in the call, telling staffers, “I know these past few days have been very hard for this group. 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 org. And for that, I am sorry.”
Atlanticreporter Tim Alberta spent months speaking with Licht for the profile, which was published last Friday and painted Licht as an executive who is out of touch with his employees, some of whom seem eager for him to exit the network.
Licht, 51, came to CNN as chairman and CEO in May 2022, a time when — asThe Atlanticdescribes — “Ratings, in decline since Trump left office, haddropped to new lows. Employee morale was even worse. A feeling of dread saturated the company.”
Chris Licht.Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images for CBS News
But under Licht’s leadership, CNN hasn’t fully rebounded.
The network came under fire in May for its handling of aprimetime town hallwith former PresidentDonald Trump— an event that Licht had hoped would “vindicate his pursuit of Republican viewers while proving to his employees that he possessed a revolutionary vision for their network and the broader news media,“The Atlanticdetails.
But that’s not exactly how the televised event went. Instead, Trump steamrolled moderatorKaitlan Collins, making an array of false claims that at times went unchecked (all while the audience laughed, even when the former presidentmade light of recent sexual assault claimsfor which he was found liable).
CNN’s Republican Presidential Town Hall with Donald Trump.Will Lanzoni/CNN
There have been other signs of chaos at CNN, too, such as longtime anchorDon Lemon’sexit from the networkin April, which led to a public back-and-forth between Lemon and the network aboutwhether or not the firing was a surprise.
In the wake of the profile, though, Licht shows no signs of stepping down from his role — though reinforcements have been brought in. Last Thursday — one day beforeThe Atlanticprofile dropped — former Warner Brothers Discovery CEO David Leavy washired as CNN’s new chief operating officer.
Leavy’s hiring, MSNBC reports, will free Licht up to focus more on programming and editorial strategy and less on logistics.
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But the fallout from the profile persists, at least in the initial days since publication. “It’s very frustrating,” one employee toldNew York Magazine, “that we learn more about Licht’s motivations from interviews than we do from internal communication.”
source: people.com
