For an up-and-coming political communicator, White House press secretary can be a career-defining opportunity. It can take someone from relative obscurity to national prominence almost overnight.
Networks that only cater to their existing base tend to shrink over time as that base ages out. Consequently, if a scrolling text chain is what it takes to pull younger eyes toward CNN's programming, that's a trade worth making.
Nobody wants an outside ownership group walking into their newsroom and announcing that everything's been done wrong. That conversation never goes well, no matter who's delivering it or how it's framed.
Press secretary is a demanding job: early mornings, late nights, and a level of scrutiny that makes cable news look gentle by comparison. It also doesn't pay like cable news or national radio syndication does.