CNN’s chief executive officer reportedly asked the network’s journalists to reduce coverage of President Donald Trump’s East Wing demolition of the White House last week, according to a report in the media news outlet Status. The request reportedly came after the executive, Mark Thompson, met with Trump at the White House.
CNN strongly pushed back on the report, however. A network spokesperson told The Daily Beast that there is “zero truth to the conjecture in this [Status] column that was not fact checked before publication.”
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Thompson’s reported WH meeting
Status reported that Thompson met with Trump last Wednesday, two days after the East Wing demolition began. The next morning, Status reported, CNN staffers were reportedly “taken aback” when Thompson said during an editorial meeting that the news outlet should ease up on its coverage of the White House demolition, citing a lack of interest from viewers.
Two sources familiar with the matter were cited in the Status report, which claims that workers at CNN are now uneasy about what coverage may be potentially quashed in the future.
Thompson’s suggestion struck some as ‘bizarre’
Although he also has the title of editor-in-chief, Thompson’s suggestion struck CNN employees as “bizarre” because he typically refrains from getting directly involved in news coverage, according to Status.
Thompson’s visit to the White House reportedly included promoting CNN’s new streaming product, which touts direct-to-consumer capabilities, and looking for potential Trump administration officials to appear on his network.
Thompson joined CNN in 2023. He previously served as the CEO of The New York Times Company and as director-general of the BBC.
Thompson’s push for change in CNN’s coverage
Thompson recently told Mediate that he is pushing for the network to include a “broad range of political voices on air.”
“Strategically best positioning CNN is that we are actually a news service … as opposed to an opinion and debate service masquerading as a news service,” Thompson said.
CNN’s parent company for sale
CNN’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, recently revealed that it is up for sale and said it has already heard from “multiple” potential buyers.
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President George Washington selected the initial site for the White House in 1791.
Paramount Skydance — the owner of CBS, whose chief executive, David Ellison, is an ally of Trump’s — made an offer that was rejected by Warner Bros. Discovery last week.
Trump’s criticism of CNN
The president has often criticized CNN, among other networks that he views as biased against him.
This month, he called CNN’s senior White House correspondent “one of the worst reporters that you’ll ever see” and refused to take her question.
Controversial East Wing demolition pushback
Thompson’s purported push to back off on coverage of the White House project comes as most Americans oppose the demolition of the East Wing and the construction of the $300 million ballroom.
The project has been criticized by Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of former President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton, as well as by the daughter of former President Ronald Reagan, who expressed heartbreak over the “complete destruction” of the East Wing.
