We investigate the strange practice that CNN reports on itself via outside sources.
In the midst of an operatic telenovela, the CNN executive meltdown, the latest news is that Chris Cuomo (a disgraced former star of CNN) has been dismissed. He had filed a large lawsuit His former employer. This absurdly exaggerated figure of $125 Million is based on his denial of future employment. His claim is that future earnings would have been generated by his ratings of barely in the top-30.
In referencing this suit, CNN’s Brian Stelter — via his Trustworthy Sources newsletter — gives us tHe information. Well…technically he doesn’t; he gives us the report from the Washington Post, which provides us with the details.
WaPo’s Jeremy Barr Submitted, Cuomo’s lawyers argued “that the $125 million he is seeking represents not just $15 million remaining from his CNN contract but also future ‘decades of earnings’ that they argue he has been deprived of because ‘CNN’s calculated efforts to tar and feather him’ left him ‘untouchable in the world of broadcast journalism…’”
In this same segment, Stelter’s ward, Oliver Darcy, reporting from their Fox Cave, gives more shading on the court case – also from another source.
It will always look inept.
CNN media experts report again on CNN news by repeating non-CNN reports. pic.twitter.com/zvFKgwrdFt— Brad Slager – Coming Out of Retirement…Village (@MartiniShark) March 17, 2022
There is some understanding, since it seems very likely that Cuomo doesn’t want to talk with any of his ex-staff. But, it follows a steady pattern over the past six months where reporting has occurred AboutCNN often isn’t being done by CNN. Stelter and Darcy regularly reported on what was happening under their roof, giving reports from the outside.
Over the past year, the network has been embroiled in numerous foundation-shaking stories, from Cuomo’s clown show to the ouster of President Jeff Zucker, to the multiple sex scandals involving staff and producers, as well as the embarrassing product being broadcast and the dismal ratings slide all year. It is easy to understand their reluctance to be forthcoming. However, in trying their best at these stories, they often depend on external intel.
In the days following the Zucker ouster, there were plenty of items to report upon, and yes – Stelter and others provided coverage, with some key insight into the workplace reaction. Sometimes, however, nuggets would appear from outsider sources. These would provide information inside CNN you wouldn’t expect from the CNN players. In one example, Stelter references a breakdown of the timeline of Zucker’s removal. CNBC created it.
Discovery CEO David Zaslav learned of Zucker’s resignation only hours before it happened. CNBC was the first to report on this timeline. Beobserved that “Zucker’s departure could give Zaslav more freedom to decide how to proceed with CNN’s live programming and CNN+ without having to butt heads with a friend.”
CNN will also undergo major changes at the top, with Warner Media merging into Discovery Networks. This merger is resulting in significant change both in the executive office and how the network is managed. Just before the Cuomo firing, I noticedCuomo could die as a result of this. In another example of CNN’s disconnected reporting, a major player in the merger, and a vocal presence in the days prior to all the executive drama, is said to be involved. According to another news source, this was not a CNN employee.
The Malone factor Oliver Darcy writes: “Buried in a lengthy report from Deadline’s Dominic Patten and Ted Johnson is an intriguing detail: ‘Discovery’s largest shareholder, John Malone, a critic of CNN, made it known that corporate procedures had to be followed to the letter in regards to Zucker, we hear. Being that WarnerMedia’s standards of business conduct require disclosure of relationships that develop with a boss and subordinate, Zucker’s goose was officially cooked.’ Discovery must legally remain at arm’s length from WarnerMedia until the deal receives government approval. One thing many people will immediately remember, though, is that Malone signaled late last year that he was not a fan of Zucker’s iteration of CNN. I asked a Malone rep for comment about both Deadline’s report and Zucker’s exit. ‘John has no comment,’ his spokesperson replied…”
On February 15, Stelter was detailing some of the machinations behind the removal of Allison Gollust, Jeff Zucker’s paramour. The report also included a detailed account of Gollust’s venomous email expressing disapproval at her dismissal. Justin Baragona of The Daily Beast was his source for the email.
Gollust strikes back You might recall, that Gollust stated on the day Zucker left CNN she would remain as head of marketing communications at the network. She was seen at the company’s New York office last week and was still working with her teams on the CNN+ rollout, upcoming events and other matters. This week something changed in a hurry.Because Gollust shared the information with colleagues In an email that WarnerMedia “jumped the gun” on the announcement of her exit.
Oliver Darcy’s brief mention in The Observer was the most bizarre example of third-party news-reporting. Trustworthy SourcesNewsletter in December just before Chris Cuomo was fired. Darcy linked the New York Times to an article about Harper Collins’s announcement of a cancellation of a deal for upcoming books with Cuomo. This book had been scheduled to be published this year.
Darcy then refers to Jeff Zucker’s comments on the subject, and it is clear that the impression of an arms-length report from his network is strong. Zucker is quoted as declaring that Cuomo would not be receiving a severance package from the network, and how there was no statement from Cuomo’s reps. This was derived from the CNN Town Hall that Jeff Zucker held for CNN employees. Darcy would have had first-person knowledge of this, but instead, he gives us these scant details – via the Wall Street Journal?!
Jeff Zucker, however, stated during a CNN-wide Town Hall that Cuomo will not be paid a severance. A Cuomo spokesman “had no comment on the CNN decision,” WSJ’s Ben Mullin This is what I wrote…
It just creates an unusual feeling of hesitation. The effect remains the same, regardless of whether these CNN reporters are prevented or trying to minimise negative information about themselves. The reality is that CNN’s media specialists are incapable of gathering information.
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