CNN Surrenders to Trump | The Nation

CNN anchor Jim Acosta is destined to be the barometer of his network’s relationship with Donald Trump. During President Trump’s first term, Acosta’s tough questions at press conferences gave CNN credibility as a news organization that stood up to the principles of accountability and was not intimidated by the president’s bullying. In 2018, President Trump condemned The White House revoked Acosta’s press pass, calling him a “disrespectful and horrible person.” CNN sued Mr. Trump and his aides succeeded in forcing the White House to return the reporter’s press pass on Mr. Acosta’s behalf.

If the jousting between Mr. Acosta and Mr. Trump was once celebrated by CNN, it is now a source of shame. Trump not only won a second term, but also won the popular vote for the first time (albeit by a narrow margin), which has thoroughly frightened CNN and other corporate media outlets. In last Thursday’s newsletter situationFormer CNN journalist Oliver Darcy said: reported CNN CEO Mark Thompson called Mr. Acosta and said, “I told the veteran journalist a sudden and strange proposal: move the show to midnight and run it until 2 a.m. ET.” “It was.” Acosta currently has a morning show that airs on the 10th morning E.T. A CNN official told Darcey, “They want to get rid of Acosta to throw Trump a bone. If his ratings are among the highest on the network, Midnight is not a serious offer.”

mediaite follow up Darcey’s report was accompanied by other quotes from current and former CNN employees, nearly all of whom said they were shocked by the network’s actions. One staffer said: “Jim built his career and reputation by asking tough questions and taking responsibility, including to Mr. Trump, so this type of move has a kind of chilling effect.” Or how does the network respond to this new administration? It will be interesting to see if they send a message to other shows or EPs about whether they want to be involved.” Another staffer said he was “embarrassed” by Mr. Acosta’s suggestion to step aside, saying he was “not appeased by anything.” “This appears to be an attempt to appease Mr. Trump.”

On Tuesday, Darcy reported The day before President Trump’s inauguration, Thompson held a virtual editorial meeting.

He offered advice on how the network wanted to cover Inauguration Day. Mr Thompson was heard suggesting to those in attendance that he urged journalists to be positive and avoid making preconceptions about Mr Trump. He warned them against expressing their anger, as many of the anchors who make up CNN’s roster of journalists did regularly during President Trump’s first term.

CNN’s changes reflect a larger shift in corporate media. During President Trump’s first term, many news organizations found it useful to respond to the public’s liberal anger against the president. Under the umbrella label of “resistance liberalism,” a genuine mass movement has emerged that seeks to combat Trumpism through protests and electoral organizing. Resistance liberalism had several drawbacks. The trend towards conspiracy theories was particularly noticeable. wilder speculation It’s all about President Trump’s possible relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, but it’s also about the public’s beneficial engagement with democracy.

Mainstream media sought to tap into a new audience of resistance liberals, sometimes cynically, but with genuine investigative reporting. In 2017, washington post They adopted the slogan “Democracy dies in darkness.” But even before Mr. Trump won a second term, the fighting spirit of resistance liberalism had waned, weakened by years of defending the often toothless Biden administration. Of note, in 2024, about 75% Including the largest newspaper company in the country washington post, USA Today,and Los Angeles Times–Refused to endorse a presidential candidate. Early this month, post adopted The new mission statement is “Engaging storytelling across America.” “Democracy dies in the dark” can be criticized as melodramatic and arrogant, but the new credo suggests that newspapers will not engage in journalism at all, concentrating instead on simple entertainment. are.

The retreat from an adversarial relationship with Trump is undoubtedly rooted in economic self-interest. As media consolidation intensifies, news organizations become increasingly reliant on parent companies like Leviathan that are deeply connected to national politics. This is especially true since Donald Trump has not been shy about threatening to use presidential power against business leaders who oppose him. Last fall, Trump threatened Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg with “life in prison.” Naturally, Mr. Zuckerberg I immediately moved to appease him. Supported Trump by creating president-friendly policies on Facebook. This is especially true with the site’s recent drastic reduction in fact-checking.

of new york post report “Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN’s parent company, has made clear that it wants the network to adopt a more neutral tone in its dealings with President Trump.” washington postOf course, this company is owned by Jeff Bezos, one of the richest men in the world, and with his extensive business interests, especially in Amazon, he needs to stay on Trump’s good side. .

CNN and washington post This is not only a lesson about the dangers of corporate control of the media, but also a reminder of the value of independent media. The alliance between mainstream media and resistance liberalism has always been unstable and questionable. Even when CNN was more critical of Trump than it is now, it was more friendly to safe centrism than any progressive politics. Russiagate propaganda and the constant elevation of NeverTrump Republicans. The lesson for progressives is that corporate media is never friendly terrain, and to build lasting opposition, we need independent media like: Democracy now!, propublica And, dare I say it? nation.