There has been yet another casualty of war at CNN.
Political analyst Chris Cillizza is out.
He had just signed a new 3-year contract in 2021, so his release was a bit of a shock.
It should also send a wave of panic throughout the entire journalist team that nobody is safe at this point.
Big Changes
Thursday was a pretty big day for house cleaning at CNN.
In addition to Cillizza, Alison Kiosk, Martin Savidge, Alex Field, and Mary Ann Fox were all let go.
Chris Cillizza is one of the CNN staffers who have been let go in the latest round of layoffs by Chris Licht, according to @bristei:https://t.co/ZWDKSjkEYs pic.twitter.com/c4KhRYsi3O
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) December 1, 2022
CEO Christ Licht has just come through the network like a tropical storm.
He has called the moves “recalibrated reporting strategy,” stating, “Our people are the heart and soul of this organization. It is incredibly hard to say goodbye to any one member of the CNN team, much less many.”
CNN boss Chris Licht informs employees in an all-staff note that layoffs are underway.
Licht says those being notified today are largely paid contributors and then tomorrow CNN "will notify impacted employees."
Licht will then provide an update to staff afterward. pic.twitter.com/nD0pt9Ruwj
— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) November 30, 2022
The problem, of course, was that the reporting had become single-minded, focusing on crushing conservatives at all costs.
Quite frankly, I am shocked that Don Lemon has made the cut, although he has been reduced to a prop on the morning show.
CNN was hemorrhaging cash up until Licht came aboard, and he has made it no secret that the old way of doing things is no longer the way.
He has cut out some major personalities to level off the reporting to a more moderate level.
He clearly wants to see more Republicans sit down with staff, something that simply has not been happening because they are usually under attack the moment the microphone opens.
This is good news for viewers, but it is bad news for Fox News.
Up until now, Fox has had been able to corner the market on conservative viewers, but if CNN gets this figured out, that could change.
The smart move for CNN will be to play it right down the middle, and it would quickly regain its luster and if not give Fox a run for its money, solidify itself in the number two spot, which would be a huge upgrade from where it resides now.
Source: Daily Caller
