CNN executives reportedly dressed down reporter Oliver Darcy for "emotional" coverage of the network's town hall with former President Donald Trump.
After the town hall last Wednesday, Darcy appeared to question the judgement of CNN leaders who decided that hosting Trump, a 2024 presidential candidate, would be a good idea for the network, let alone the country.
"It's hard to see how America was served by the spectacle of lies that aired on CNN Wednesday evening," wrote Darcy in the opening of the Reliable Sources newsletter after the town hall.
He added:
While [moderator Kaitlan] Collins is largely receiving praise for her relentless fact-checking of the former president, she was facing an impossible task.
CNN and new network boss Chris Licht are facing a fury of criticism — both internally and externally over the event. How Licht and other CNN executives address the criticism in the coming days and weeks will be crucial. Will they defend what transpired at Saint Anselm College? Or will they express some regret? For now, CNN is defending itself.
On Thursday, Darcy and his editor were summoned to a meeting with CNN executives. At the meeting were CEO Chris Licht and other executives responsible for communications and editorial.
According to media reporter Dylan Byers, Darcy was told in no uncertain terms that "his coverage had been too emotional." The executives reportedly instructed Darcy that he should remain "dispassionate" — i.e., not overly emotional but impartial — in all his work, whether writing about CNN or any other media organization.
Sources further told Byers that during the meeting, "Darcy stood by his work and pushed back on the 'emotional' characterization." But after the meeting, Darcy was "visibly shaken," the sources added.
"They put the fear of God into him," one source said.
Semafor later reported that the meeting ended "cordially," with Licht offering his support for Darcy. Still, according to Semafor, Darcy "has wondered to colleagues whether he should resign or if he will be fired by the network" since the meeting and news of it broke. But a CNN spokesperson said Darcy will remain with the network.
"Oliver does not intend to resign and his newsletter will be out per usual this evening," CNN spokesperson Matt Dornic said.
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Liberals voiced their outrage at CNN on Wednesday after the network hosted a town hall with former President Donald Trump.
The town hall largely focused on the past — the 2020 presidential election, Jan. 6, and fact-checking what happened in Trump's presidency — and Trump's personal issues. At times, moderator Kaitlan Collins asked Trump questions related to current issues, like the border crisis, abortion, the war in Ukraine, and the debt ceiling.
It was Trump's first appearance on CNN since the 2016 presidential election.
Democrats, liberals, and Trump opponents lashed out at CNN and network executives for hosting Trump.
CNN employees, moreover, are upset about how the town hall went.
"It is so bad. I was cautiously optimistic despite the criticism. It is awful. It's a Trump infomercial. We're going to get crushed," one employee reportedly said.
Another reacted, "A disaster, and totally predictable."
Part of what drove the anger toward CNN is the fact that the town hall almost certainly helped Trump's campaign because, as Politico reported, his "biggest liabilities never looked so small."
The audience of Republicans and independent voters often cheered for Trump, applauded him, and laughed at his jeering remarks.
"For Trump’s rivals, it was a foreboding scene. Here was the former president getting grilled on some of his biggest vulnerabilities, and if the room at St. Anselm College was any indication, it wasn’t hurting him at all," Politico observed.
The TV ratings for the town hall have not yet been released. But it's almost certain that it helped CNN, too.
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Don Lemon — who made headlines last week when he made comments about when women are supposedly in their "prime" and claimed that former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley is not in her prime — has agreed to take part in "formal training," CNN Worldwide chairman and CEO Chris Licht noted in a Monday night email to employees, the outlet reported.
"I sat down with Don and had a frank and meaningful conversation," Licht noted in a memo, according to CNN. "He has agreed to participate in formal training, as well as continuing to listen and learn. We take this situation very seriously."
Licht also noted that Lemon will return to the air on Wednesday.
"It is important to me that CNN balances accountability with … fostering a culture in which people can own, learn and grow from their mistakes," Licht conveyed. "To that end, Don will return to CNN This Morning on Wednesday."
Haley, who announced a presidential bid last week, has called for "mandatory mental competency tests for politicians over 75 years old." She is 51 years old.
Lemon said last week that he is "uncomfortable" with the focus on age and claimed that Haley is not in her prime. Lemon suggested that Googling when women are in their prime would yield results indicating that women are in their prime during their 20s, 30s, and 40s — he added that he was not saying that he agreed with that notion.
\u201cDon Lemon: "Nikki Haley isn\u2019t in her prime. Sorry, when a woman is considered to be in her prime in her 20s, and 30s, and maybe 40s\u2026"\n\nPoppy Harlow: "Are you talking about prime for like child bearing?"\n\n"Don\u2019t shoot the messenger! I\u2019m just saying what the facts are! Google it!"\u201d— Townhall.com (@Townhall.com) 1676559460
The television personality later issued a tweet addressing his comments.
"The reference I made to a woman’s 'prime' this morning was inartful and irrelevant, as colleagues and loved ones have pointed out, and I regret it. A woman's age doesn't define her either personally or professionally. I have countless women in my life who prove that every day," Lemon tweeted.
CNN reported that Lemon apologized during a Friday editorial meeting. "I'm sorry that I said it," he said, according to the outlet. "And I certainly see why people found it completely misguided."
"When I make a mistake, I own it," he reportedly said. "And I own this one as well."
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CNN anchor Don Lemon offered his colleagues a bizarre excuse for the controversial remarks he made about Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley.
On Thursday's episode of "CNN This Morning," Lemon suggested that the 51-year-old Haley, who announced her campaign this week, is past her "prime."
"Nikki Haley isn't in her prime. Sorry. A woman is considered to be in her prime in her 20s and 30s and maybe 40s," Lemon said.
When challenged by his co-host Poppy Harlow, Lemon explained, "I'm just saying what the facts are. Google it." The comments angered CNN employees, and Harlow reportedly stormed off the set after her exchange with Lemon.
On an editorial call with CNN staffers Friday morning, Lemon apologized, defended himself, and claimed his comments were meant to encourage Haley.
"I'm sorry I don’t mean to hurt anyone. I did not mean to offend anyone," Lemon said, Fox News reported. "What I said came out wrong and I wish I hadn’t said it. I believe women of any age can do anything they set their minds to. The people I am closest to in this organization are women."
"When I make a mistake. I own it and I own this one as well. I understand why you are upset and disappointed," he continued. "I was trying to make the point that no one's age should define their ambition or potential for success and I was saying those comments to Nikki Haley."
Before he spoke, network CEO Chris Licht publicly rebuked Lemon and reassured rank-and-file staffers that he understands their concerns.
"Don and I have spoken at length. He knows I'm disappointed," Licht reportedly said. "His remarks were upsetting, unacceptable and unfair to his co-hosts and ultimately a huge distraction to the great work of this organization."
According to the Politico Playbook, not well.
People who were on the call said that while Lemon apologized, he seemed at times to be justifying his original comment and taking credit for apologizing. One person described Lemon’s apology as “tone deaf” and said some staff remain “furious” over the episode and want management to issue a statement responding to the situation.
Lemon did not appear on "CNN This Morning" Friday morning. CNN claimed his absence was pre-planned.
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In yet another shakeup for CNN, the troubled network with sinking ratings and crumbling credibility rehired disinformation spreader Brian Stelter, who had previously been fired for being even more embarrassing to the company than its legal analyst and Zoom masturbator Jeffrey Toobin. For decades, the network had been viewed as a typical leftist media outlet, […]
Chris Licht tried to bring CNN back to the political center. He was fired because the media are expected to enforce ideological conformity, rather than provide honest news to a large audience.
The former chairman didn't know that CNN isn't and doesn't want to be a news organization. He was fired for trying to force it to be one.
Viewers lost trust in CNN due to its left-wing bias and histrionic Covid reporting, according to a 2022 survey commissioned by the network.
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