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Just weeks after he faced criticism for holding a town hall event with former president Donald Trump that turned into a circus, CNN chief executive Chris Licht is again facing questions about his leadership of the network following an extensive profile in the Atlantic that portrayed him as ineffective and lacking internal support.
Headlined “Inside the Meltdown at CNN,” the 15,000-word story that published Friday took apart Licht’s leadership style and his strategy for rescuing the network, which has been beset by historic declines in ratings during the Biden administration.
It also painted a portrait of a leader who lacks the confidence of his employees. “Licht lived on an island, surrounded by people who disliked him, or doubted his vision for the company, or questioned his competency, or were outright rooting for his ruin,” wrote journalist Tim Alberta. The story included little on-the-record praise for Licht, quoting his gym trainer, as well as longtime Republican pollster Frank Luntz.
Internally, there has been considerable backlash to revelations about Licht in the story and to quotes he gave, including criticisms of the network’s coverage of the coronavirus pandemic. A veteran producer at the network who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment described Licht’s decision to participate in the profile, which Alberta spent months working on, as “a massive self-inflicted wound.”
An on-air personality at CNN who spoke on the condition of anonymity to speak candidly described the story as “a debacle.”
“This just seems unsustainable,” said the on-air personality, who questioned how long Licht could last at the network.
Among Licht’s critics has been veteran CNN journalist Christiane Amanpour, who called out his decision to host the Trump town hall during a commencement address for the Columbia Journalism School. Amanpour received public praise from several of her colleagues at CNN.
Licht addressed the Atlantic’s story during the network’s daily editorial meeting on Monday morning and apologized for becoming the center of public attention. “I read that article. I found myself thinking, ‘CNN is not about me,’” he told employees. “I should not be in the news unless it’s taking arrows for you.”
“I fully recognize that this news cycle and my role in it have overshadowed the incredible week of reporting we just had and distracted from the work of every single journalist in this organization,” he added. “And for that, I’m sorry.”
Addressing worker concerns that he has been distant, both metaphorically and literally, Licht told employees that he will move his desk to the newsroom to be more visible and closer to the action.
“This experience has been tremendously humbling,” Licht said, “and to those whose trust I lost, I will fight like hell to win it back.”
Licht, who only took over as chief executive of CNN in May 2022, had struck a more defiant tone when defending his decision to host a town hall with Trump on May 10. Despite fierce blowback to the event, during which Trump badgered and spoke over CNN moderator Kaitlan Collins, Licht told his employees the following morning that “America was served very well by what we did last night.”
Ultimately, Licht’s fate at the network rests in the hands of the man who picked him for the role: David Zaslav, chief executive of Warner Bros. Discovery. In comments over the past few months, Zaslav has defended Licht and his vision of CNN, though he has said that Licht has “gotten a lot wrong.”
In a statement that was originally written for the Atlantic story and that was provided to The Washington Post on Monday, Zaslav praised the value of CNN and said Licht is making progress in his turnaround plan for the network, which involves making it a more welcoming place for viewers and guests across the political spectrum and putting more emphasis on news, not emotion.
“We set a high bar for ourselves and while we know that it will take time to complete the important work that’s underway, we have great confidence in the progress that Chris and the team are making and share their conviction in the strategy,” Zaslav said in the statement.
Just last week, Licht trumpeted the announcement that a longtime Zaslav lieutenant, David C. Leavy, would join the network as chief operating officer. Some insiders, however, have questioned whether the move suggests that Licht’s power is being watered down.
Licht built a lengthy career as a master programmer who helped launch MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” and revamped CBS’s morning show, but his early programming decisions at CNN have backfired.
In November, CNN launched a new morning show that represented his first big swing, pairing up veteran journalists Don Lemon and Poppy Harlow with rising star Collins. While Licht told The Post in an October interview that the hosts “have a genuine camaraderie that will translate perfectly to a morning show,” it didn’t work out that way. Lemon immediately drew controversy for his on-air comments, and he was ultimately fired by the network; in retrospect, Licht’s decision to remove Lemon from his prime-time perch and put him a morning show seemed to be a miscasting.
But Licht’s biggest blowup was the Trump town hall, which kicked off a slate of prime-time town hall events that the network will hold in advance of the 2024 presidential election. On Sunday, Nikki Haley participated in a town hall event moderated by Jake Tapper, drawing significantly less controversy and more focus on the Republican presidential candidate’s remarks, particularly about transgender children.
Many journalists at the network still compare Licht, unfavorably, to former CNN president Jeff Zucker, who fostered loyalty from his staff by giving them more opportunities, generous contracts and leeway to express their personal sentiments about the news. Zucker was forced to resign in February 2022 after not disclosing a romantic relationship with a close colleague.
Another CNN journalist who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment said that Licht was put in a bad position, and that some of the blame should be given to Zaslav.
Even if Licht were to be replaced, the CNN journalist wrote that “people are going to be mad at whoever the new president or C.E.O. is because it isn’t Zucker.”
Licht found support on Monday morning outside the walls of CNN, from his former colleagues on “Morning Joe,” who praised his mea culpa and expressed confidence in his skills. “I would never bet against Chris Licht,” said Donny Deutsch.
Source link: https://www.washingtonpost.com/media/2023/06/05/chris-licht-cnn-atlantic/