Harwood, a longtime Wall Avenue Journal reporter, joined the community in January 2020, having labored as CNBC’s chief Washington correspondent from 2006 to 2019. In accordance with two individuals with data of the state of affairs, Harwood nonetheless had time left on his CNN contract, suggesting that the community’s brass determined to finish his tenure prematurely.
CNN representatives declined to touch upon the explanation for his departure. “We admire John’s work protecting the White Home, and we want him all the most effective,” they mentioned in a press release.
As a reporter who usually supplied political evaluation, Harwood was a daily presence on the community’s airwaves who was “clearly requested by the exhibits,” a shocked CNN insider mentioned.
His exit follows the abrupt departure of CNN senior media correspondent Brian Stelter, host of the weekly information program “Dependable Sources”, which aired for 3 many years till it was canceled final month. Like Harwood, Stelter had time remaining on his contract. One other longtime CNN commentator, authorized affairs specialist Jeffrey Toobin, introduced his departure on August 12.
A number of present and former CNN workers who spoke with The Washington Publish — most of whom spoke on the situation of anonymity to talk candidly — interpret the sudden exodus as proof that Licht, who joined the community as president and CEO in Might, begins his time period by chasing voices that had usually criticized former President Donald Trump and his allies, in an effort to current a brand new, extra ideologically impartial CNN. This aligns with a view repeatedly expressed by David Zaslav, the chief govt of Warner Bros. Discovery.
Zaslav employed Licht to switch Jeff Zucker, the community’s ousted longtime frontman, who had inspired a shift in tone earlier at CNN by permitting the community’s stars to precise extra emotion and opinion.
“Individuals are freaking out,” a CNN reporter mentioned. “I virtually really feel like there is a pattern. Is there a purge occurring? They appear to ship a message: “Watch out what you say. Take note of what you’re doing.
Licht has publicly supplied little indication of a brand new mission for CNN, leaving some workers feeling discouraged. “Longtime CNN personalities are disappearing, and viewers do not know why,” one other CNN insider mentioned, noting that Licht hasn’t employed many new voices to switch them.
Harwood’s vocal commentary units him aside from lots of his CNN friends. In his last look Friday morning, Harwood known as Trump a “dishonest demagogue” when discussing President Biden’s speech from Philadelphia the earlier night time. Harwood added that the “central level” of Biden’s speech, which claimed that Trump and his supporters posed a menace to democracy, “is true.”
Harwood admitted on air that his personal assertion departed from the conventions of conventional journalism. “We’re introduced up with the concept that there are two totally different political events with totally different views and we do not take sides in trustworthy disagreements between them,” he mentioned. “However that is not what we’re speaking about. These usually are not trustworthy disagreements.
Harwood’s remark got here throughout as an intentional “last salvo,” mentioned Wajahat Ali, a political commentator who was a CNN contributor in 2019 and 2020. “I do not assume it was an accident,” Ali mentioned.
Ali speculated that the pressured departures of Stelter and Harwood would ship a message to fellow CNN reporters that they need to rein of their political evaluation lest they cross a line in opinion, or danger shedding “a plum job.” that everybody desires”.
Licht informed CNN employees he hoped to see extra Republican politicians make appearances. He visited the Capitol in July and held conferences with key Democrats and Republicans.
However the community pushed again towards options that Licht was particularly attempting to curry favor with Republicans, saying he merely needed to make CNN “a spot for honest and respectful dialogue, evaluation and debate.”
Licht’s first strikes within the job are being watched intently in mild of feedback from John Malone, a serious Warner Bros. shareholder. Discovery, which informed CNBC final fall that it “wish to see CNN get again to the sort of journalism it began out with, and truly have reporters.”
In an interview final month with The New York Instances, Malone denied having any involvement within the resolution to expel Stelter. He mentioned he desires “the information aspect of CNN to be extra centrist” however is “not in management or straight concerned”.
In a note to staff in Might, Licht mentioned he needed CNN to assist regain the belief many individuals have misplaced within the media, by “fearlessly talking reality to energy, difficult the established order, difficult the “groupthink” and educating viewers and readers with easy information and insightful commentary, whereas at all times respecting differing viewpoints.
However one of many CNN reporters who spoke to The Publish mentioned his colleagues had been nonetheless attempting to determine the place, precisely, the brand new traces had been being drawn. “I believe they’re hoping individuals will guess what to do.”
A veteran community producer, who spoke on situation of anonymity as a result of he wasn’t licensed to remark, expressed issues about how the latest departures — and the message they despatched in inside – will have an effect on protection of the upcoming midterm and presidential elections, which can embrace Trump as a candidate.
“It has been a extremely complicated and unsettling time up and down at CNN,” the producer mentioned. “I do not know anybody who’s completely happy proper now.”
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