Jeff Zucker’s New Remarks Point to the Disarray at CNN Leading to Chris Cuomo Debacle – Opinion

As soon as once more, CNN’s failure to deal with the issue instantly is resulting in extra issues.

Whereas the Chris Cuomo period at CNN could also be over, the Cuomo saga positive has not ended. After a whirlwind week of drama the place proof of impropriety was launched, Cuomo was suspended, the information trade was agog, then he was fired, after which adopted by claims of sexual misconduct. Within the wake of this, Cuomo is ending his Sirius Radio podcast, and he simply had a proposed guide deal spiked by his writer. The deposed pundit is now positioning himself for a lawsuit, trying to be paid the steadiness of his contract. This operatic melodrama is changing into a cable information telenovela.

The newest information comes from inside CNN headquarters in Atlanta – type of. That gauzy description is a part of the brand new growth, the place the community, and particularly its CEO, Jeff Zucker, are trying much more inept. Media maven Brian Stelter’s sidekick, Oliver Darcy, writes about Jeff Zucker addressing CNN workers in a city corridor assembly, and he sounds as if he’s writing from an out of doors information outlet.

In the meantime, Jeff Zucker stated throughout a CNN-wide city corridor that the information outlet is not going to pay Cuomo a severance. A Cuomo spokesman “had no touch upon the CNN choice,” WSJ’s Ben Mullin wrote.

Now, wait. Do you not work at CNN, Ollie? How is it you handle to sound such as you tried to get some info however had been stymied by these you don’t have any hope of contacting? That is Darcy mimicking the strategy of his mentor, as Brian Stelter has at all times reported on Cuomo on this similar style — as a distant observer. He used the “we reached out to Cuomo’s folks” dodge months in the past when Chris was nonetheless on the air. 

Similarly, when the Cuomo scandals broke, Stelter would ship out a flurry of tweets, most of which had been both repeating govt press releases or reflecting what some inside the corporate had been murmuring privately. That is their method of showing to cowl the story whereas truly not delving into the matter. It’s a reflection of the very lax habits of not analyzing their very own community with the requirements they try to pressure onto the likes of Fox Information.

Right here is @BrianStelter in August-
”Telling a well-off host to hang around by the pool for a pair weeks isn’t an actual punishment. It is BS when Fox sends a bunch off on ‘trip’ throughout a scandal.”
Appears completely legitimate when it’s @ChrisCuomo nonetheless.https://t.co/cFDXUESC64 https://t.co/2gOIoNQZ8X

— Brad Slager – Incontinent On One other Continent (@MartiniShark) December 1, 2021

So, as Ollie references the Wall Road Journal to get the small print of the CNN city corridor, one which he ought to have been instantly privy to look at, we be taught one thing else that sounds unintentionally revealing. Zucker, within the effort to displace duty, makes his information gathering community look fully inept within the enterprise of gathering info on somebody on their very own payroll.

Mentioned the pinnacle of the community relating to the most recent Cuomo revelations, “When Ms. James’s workplace [New York Attorney General Letitia James] launched data into the investigation of Andrew Cuomo final week, CNN executives had been caught off guard.”

He says this concerning the particulars regarding Cuomo’s involvement together with his brother’s disaster group relating to his intercourse abuse scandal. Information of his possible involvement was recognized final February, however CNN was incapable of gleaning any additional particulars? Most informal observers had been each sure Chris concerned himself and confused on how he was remaining on the air. However CNN pretends this was all an unprecedented shock to them.

Then Zucker continued to undermine himself and his community. “Mr. Zucker additionally stated he wished Chris Cuomo had taken a go away of absence in Could when allegations that he participated in technique classes together with his brother first surfaced.” This was following the earlier revelation that Chris was truly concerned within the technique cellphone calls together with his brother’s workplace. This was in direct battle with what Cuomo had stated on the air about his stage of participation, but additionally Zucker’s earlier feedback concerning the anchor not having been revealing together with his bosses about his participation.

All of this makes the community look feeble within the face of a misbehaving worker. Have a look at what Zucker says right here, following {the summertime} expose of Cuomo’s actions: he wished Cuomo had taken himself off the air?! Not solely is that this a ridiculous expectation of an ego-riddled media star, however simply how impotent is Zucker and the CNN govt workers that they hoped he would do the fitting factor, as an alternative of taking direct motion and rightfully punishing dangerous habits?

Simply previous to Cuomo being let go, I wrote how his destiny could also be hinging not on CNN’s want to punish him, however on the company heads who now management the community. Jeff Zucker’s phrases on the CNN city corridor replicate that very chance, as he shows ineffectual management. 

This can be a information community being fully shocked by what their very own newsman has been doing, adopted by their hope that the one misbehaving would do the fitting factor. The dearth of corrective motion was shielded by their in-house media specialists, and all anticipated issues to blow over, as they solely had turn out to be worse. It appears clear the Warners-Discovery executives are grabbing the reins and trying to steer this galloping fiasco again onto a secure path.