Warner Bros. announced that Chris Licht has resigned as CEO of CNN, effective immediately. Discovery announced on Wednesday.
David Zaslav was the chief of Warner Bros Discovery at the time of the announcement. He had “outed” Licht after his first year as the director. The “crisis,” according to NPR, was caused by Licht’s biggest sin: attempting to overcome the mob mentality that the media created during the Trump years.
Licht’s first day at CNN, he sent a memo outlining his goals: To make CNN a “vital, relevant and respected part of the culture,” while regretting that “too much people had lost trust in news media.”
To regain trust, it was necessary to “speak truth to power without fear, challenge the status quo and question ‘group think’, and educate viewers and readers by providing straightforward facts and insightful comments, while being respectful of different viewpoints.”
Licht promised to turn CNN back into a news source. The rabid and conservative-hating staff could not stand that.
During Licht’s tenure, reports surfaced often bemoaning CNN for its alleged capitulation towards the right and low morale in the staff. Former hosts Brian Stelter, John Harwood and Christiane Amanpour all complained about Licht’s “strategic shift” while other prominent anchors like Christiane Amanpour mocked his “both-sides-ism” for obscuring the “truth.”
Recently, CNN’s townhall with Donald Trump was met with fierce internal criticism. Staffers told Politico that the event was “a complete disaster,” and that it “made it appear that CNN was endorsing this behavior.”
The Atlantic’s “Inside the Meltdown At CNN” article, a long and detailed account of corporate intrigue, based on Licht’s interviews over the last year, gave his disgruntled employees the chance to get rid of him. The article documented Licht’s attempts to “reset”, the network, and provided a look behind the scenes at the Trump townhall as well as the other leadership decisions.
This piece is a fascinating juxtaposition of how Licht and leftists view journalism, reality and the purpose thereof.
Licht criticised CNN’s coverage of the Trump administration. He argued that “putting on jerseys for the Democrats” was inappropriate, and that it resulted in a “outrage porn,” which left viewers “numb.”
He said, “Everything cannot be an 11, because it comes from someone who you feel a visceral hate for.”
Licht’s willingness to give Republicans a chance to be heard was akin to a “tour of apology” for Trumpsim.
Licht responded, “The [argument] I’m giving space to is that the thing that everyone agrees on might not be right does not make me a right-wing fascist who’s trying steal Fox viewers.”
The back-and-forth suggests that rank-and-file are so enthralled by the narratives that they were told to propagate, that they get ahead of the curve. Look at The Atlantic’s alternative view: “Trump forced us to take sides, by trying to destroy the country’s self-government institutions. This made many journalists uncomfortable.” It wasn’t about advocating capital-D Democratic policy; it was about advocating small-d democratic values.
So, “visceral hate” is what determines the reality of leftists. It is not questionable. To do so amounts to “fascism.”
High-level executives and hosts in the know are making a concerted attempt to create narratives that favor a left-wing agenda. The reality has been lost by everyone else, including the journalists and mid-level employees who write daily headlines. They are now firmly committed in their self-aggrandizing mindset that they are the saviors for the republic and carry out their professional duties as if they were on a mission.
CNN staffers dissatisfied with Licht will now realize that their behavior is going to get them what they want while sending a strong message to those who don’t follow the party line. It would be prudent for the interim CNN leadership to tread lightly or risk inciting another mutiny.
The corporate media has once again closed ranks as we enter the election season. You thought the Hunter Biden blackout of laptops was bad? This time, the same thing will likely happen to a large number of people.
But suppression of information won’t need to be a top-down directive. As they did with Licht, the rank-and-file journalists will take action organically to suppress anything that is in conflict with their perception of the world. They will shut down anything that remotely challenges their understanding of reality.
The media is only interested in reporting for the mob of outrage because they are now a full part of it.
