CNN's Chris Licht Out as CEO

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The Facts

  • CNN CEO Chris Licht’s tenure with the news network has ended after just over a year with the company, David Zaslav, the CEO of parent company Warner Bros. Discovery, announced in a memo to CNN staff Wednesday morning.

  • Licht had been under scrutiny for his handling of the network in flux, notably, his mission to make CNN more moderate in its coverage. Backlash severely ramped up from liberal outlets after CNN hosted a town hall for former Pres. Donald Trump in May.


The Spin

Left narrative

Chris Licht failed as CEO of CNN because he completely misdiagnosed the landscape of American media and tried to make CNN into a centrist outlet unwilling to oppose Donald Trump’s lies. Licht was also completely oblivious to the workplace environment he created. In over his head and unwilling to make changes, Licht’s demise came from his inability to understand both his employees and the American public.

Right narrative

Left-wing media is trying to scapegoat Chris Licht for CNN’s failure, which has been happening since Donald Trump exposed the network as fake news back in 2015. CNN, and nearly all other mainstream outlets, have lied about Trump and his supporters for years, and that’s why no one trusts them. Licht certainly doesn’t deserve any sympathy, but blaming him for CNN’s problems is disingenuous.


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