Staff Reports
CNN employees were stunned after The Atlantic published a damning report about their boss Chris Licht. The exposé, titled “Inside the Meltdown at CNN,” which gave reporters exclusive access to the newly appointed CEO, shed light on the rough year that Licht has had ever since he took on the job at CNN. Tim Alberta, the reporter who penned the article, further claimed that every decision Licht made seemed to backfire, big or small. This has caused him to lose support from frustrated and angry employees, which was not a surprise.
Explosive Report Details CNN CEO Chris Licht's Time At the Left-Wing Network
https://t.co/w9uJVFRACg— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) June 4, 2023
The report also revealed that Licht was obsessed with the press’ perception of him; he spent most of his time reading stories about himself online. He was also desperate to rebrand CNN as a more politically neutral outlet after the Left-leaning network experienced a significant drop in ratings. Unfortunately, Licht’s approach to achieve his goals failed to bear fruit, as every move he made to execute his theory backfired.
The consensus, among people who knew @TimAlberta's piece was coming, is that it's much "worse" than they expected. Licht confided in Alberta the way a client confides in a therapist. Some CNN staffers are shocked.
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) June 2, 2023
According to The Atlantic’s report, Licht’s relationship with CNN’s ousted host, Don Lemon, deteriorated over time. Licht had a problem with how Lemon dressed, and his frequent focus on his appearance irked the CEO. Licht had once yelled at Lemon when he walked onto the set wearing a white jacket with a fur collar, saying, “What the f–k is he wearing?” Lemon removed the jacket before his opening line but then stumbled when delivering his lines. Licht then yelled in frustration, “Read the f-cking prompter.” Alberta claimed that Licht was just biding his time to fire the openly gay host.
Even David Zaslav, the CEO of Warner Bros. Discovery, had lost confidence in Licht’s ability to turn the network around, according to The Atlantic’s report. Licht was aware that his circle was becoming smaller and felt that he could not trust some of the people around him. Licht made it clear in conversation that he was an “f—k machine,” and he often compared himself to his predecessor, Jeff Zucker, trying to outdo him at every turn.
The report highlighted that Republicans, Democrats, and journalists were all angry with CNN. Licht’s theory for CNN to regain people’s trust and rekindle its image didn’t work out according to plan. Licht’s execution of that theory was another story, and it seemed like every move he made seemed to backfire. Licht’s vision was to offer absolute truth, but his approach to achieve it was jaded, and he failed to implement his plan.
In conclusion, The Atlantic’s damning report showed the ineffectual leadership of Chris Licht at CNN, which has led to a sharp decline in the network’s ratings. Licht’s obsession with his predecessor, Jeff Zucker, his issues with Don Lemon, and his self-centered approach to solving CNN’s problems may be the reasons for the network’s reputation drop. Licht has lost support among employees, and even Warner Bros. Discovery’s CEO has lost faith in him. Therefore, it is little wonder that CNN employees were blindsided by Alberta’s report.
