Could CNN anchors Brian Stelter and Jim Acosta be on their way out? There’s speculation that the pair present an obstacle for their new boss Chris Licht who reportedly wants to return the network to its roots as a straightforward news gathering agency.
According to the New York Post, Licht wants CNN’s on-air personalities to focus on conducting straightforward interviews and for producers to avoid “noise” in their booking decisions.
Six months ago, CNN fired its top-rated anchor Chris Cuomo for using his journalistic influence to persuade the outcome of a sexual misconduct investigation against his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
Two months later, former CNN president Jeff Zucker resigned amid an undisclosed relationship scandal involving former fellow CNN executive Allison Gollust.
Ted Turner founded CNN in 1980. At the time it was the nation’s only 24/7 news channel. Turner’s invention spurred several other competing networks. According to Nielsen, CNN drew 660,000 total viewers in primetime this past May, while Fox pulled in 2.27 million and MSNBC had 1.02 million.
The paper reported that Licht sent a memo to staffers declaring that “too many people have lost trust in the news media.” The message noted that CNN will focus on being “advocates for the truth” going forward.
