OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
The staff at CNN is terrified as the new CEO, Chris Licht, appears to be doing some house cleaning by getting rid of the most partisan talents at the network.
Brian Stelter, the former host of “Reliable Sources,” which was also cancelled, was terminated last month and White House correspondent John Harwood had his contract cut short after backing President Joe Biden’s anti-“MAGA Republicans” speech.
It was Harwoods termination that was seen as a possible change in strategy of the network by getting rid of those who could be considered woke, The Washington Post reported.
Mere hours after he praised President Joe Biden’s anti-MAGA Republican speech, CNN White House Correspondent John Harwood was gone from the news network.
CNN has been undergoing changes with the idea of getting to a more centrist news style and away from partisan leaning, and that has meant that some CNN personalities have to go.
Neither the network nor Harwood said if he was fired, quit or it was a mutual decision, but the timing had many wondering if his praise of President Biden’s divisive speech was the cause.
Harwood said in a tweet, “personal news: today’s my last day at CNN proud of the work thanks to my colleagues i’ve been lucky to serve the best in American media – St. Petersburg Times, WSJ, NYT, the NBC family, CNN look forward to figuring out what’s next.”
personal news:
today's my last day at CNN
proud of the work
thanks to my colleagues
i've been lucky to serve the best in American media – St. Petersburg Times, WSJ, NYT, the NBC family, CNN
look forward to figuring out what's next
— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) September 2, 2022
It came hours after Harwood made his opinion known on President Biden’s speech when he appeared on the CNN show “New Day.”
“The core point he made in that political speech about a threat to democracy is true. Now, that’s something that’s not easy for us, as journalists, to say. We’re brought up to believe there’s two different political parties with different points of view and we don’t take sides in honest disagreements between them. But that’s not what we’re talking about,” he said.
“These are not honest disagreements. The Republican Party right now is led by a dishonest demagogue. Many, many Republicans are rallying behind his lies about the 2020 election and other things as well. And a significant portion—or a sufficient portion—of the constituency that they’re leading attacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, violently. By offering pardons or suggesting pardons for those people who violently attacked the Capitol, which you’ve been pointing out numerous times this morning, Donald Trump made Joe Biden’s point for him,” he said.
Before announcing that today was his last day, John Harwood appeared on CNN three times this morning. During one appearance, apparently knowing it was his last day, he told viewers that Biden's "core point" about a MAGA "threat to democracy is true."https://t.co/tRuw2ZkfxB pic.twitter.com/VN24SZOZKc
— Justin Baragona (@justinbaragona) September 2, 2022
Before that he agreed with the premise of President Biden’s speech on Twitter.
“Biden’s assertion that Trump and extremist Republicans pose a threat to American democracy is, undeniably, true,” he said.
Biden's assertion that Trump and extremist Republicans pose a threat to American democracy is, undeniably, true
— John Harwood (@JohnJHarwood) September 2, 2022
CNN said “We appreciate John’s work covering the White House, and we wish him all the best,” but did not offer a reason for his departure.
Some current employees of CNN spoke to The Post on the condition of anonymity of their concerns.
“People are freaked out,” one journalist said. “It almost feels like there’s a pattern. Is there a purge going on? They seem to be sending a message: ‘Watch what you say. Watch what you do.’”
“It’s a really confusing and unsettling time from top to bottom at CNN,” one producer said. “I don’t know anyone who is happy right now.”
“I think they’re hoping people will just guess what to do,” another journalist said.
“Longtime CNN personalities are disappearing, and the viewers don’t know why,” another employee said.
Last month Stelter issued a warning to employees at the network in a speech about his departure.
“The thing about TV is that it’s ephemeral, right?” he said. “It’s fleeting. It evaporates up into the air, and a lot of it is not even meant to be remembered. But this program transcended that.”
“CNN has a new owner. Warner Brothers Discovery is making big changes across the company,” he said.
But later in the show he spoke to Claire Atkinson, the chief media correspondent for Insider, who mentioned John Malone, a major Warner Bros. Discovery shareholder and asked if he was responsible for Stelter’s show getting cancelled.
“I think that’s a good question that people are asking: Is John Malone responsible for axing your show?” she said. “I don’t know the answer to that. I think people might suspect it’s political. He’s a libertarian who believes in not paying taxes if he can avoid it … He said he’s not directly not involved. That’s an interesting quote. But then, I think he’s a businessman. He’s looking at where the money is, where the audience is. And the viewership on the left is split between CNN and MSNBC, and the viewership on the right is all at Fox News. They have a bigger audience, lots of money, and perhaps he’s saying, ‘You know what, if we shift a little bit this way, maybe we’ll get that, too.’”
“There definitely will be more change,” the host said, in what could be a warning to others at CNN.
