CNN Insiders Say CEO Is Dulling Out Consequences For Reporters' Negative Coverage Of Trump Town Hall

The CEO of CNN, Chris Licht, summoned his network's senior reporter Oliver Darcy and his editor to reprimand them over Darcy's critical comments about CNN hosting a town hall event with the Republican frontrunner, Donald J. Trump, according to Breitbart News. 

Licht and other executives told Darcy and his editor that his coverage of the event in question was "too emotional and repeatedly stressed the importance of remaining dispassionate when covering the news." Darcy reportedly disputed that his work had been too emotional and said he stood by his coverage. Nevertheless, two sources reported that Darcy was "visibly shaken" as a result of the exchange and that the executives "put the fear of God into him."

The coverage that was the source of the reported dispute was in Darcy's newsletter, Reliable Sources, where he wrote, "It’s hard to see how America was served by the spectacle of lies that aired on CNN Wednesday evening." 

In that piece there were statements that "the nation's eyes were transfixed on Trump's abuse of the platform that he was given" and "CNN and new network boss Chris Licht are facing a fury of criticism — both internally and externally over the event. How Licht and other CNN executives address the criticism in the coming days and weeks will be crucial. Will they defend what transpired at Saint Anselm College? Or will they express some regret? For now, CNN is defending itself."

As Breitbart noted, Darcy was not the only employee of CNN to express frustration over the platforming of Trump. One CNN employee informed The Hill, "It was a total debacle and I’ve never been more ashamed to work at CNN...I don’t think anybody came out looking good. This is entirely a corporate and management failure. They should have anticipated how out of control Trump would be … to think he was going to act more presidential in that kind of setting is just naivety on a galactic scale."

Darcy himself noted this dissatisfaction in a tweet, writing, "24 hours after CNN's town hall, it's all anyone is talking about. Throughout the day, we heard from dozens of network staffers — ranging in seniority and positions across the org — who all expressed dismay by what they saw transpire on their TV screens"

24 hours after CNN's town hall, it's all anyone is talking about. Throughout the day, we heard from dozens of network staffers — ranging in seniority and positions across the org — who all expressed dismay by what they saw transpire on their TV screens. https://t.co/11m7ZsCV8u

— Oliver Darcy (@oliverdarcy) May 12, 2023