Chris Licht, CEO at CNN since May, says one of the most surprising aspects of his new job is the "uninformed vitriol" of the left..In an interview with The New York Times, Licht said the reaction from ‘progressives’ to his leadership so far was “stunning.”."The uninformed vitriol, especially from the left, has been stunning," Licht told the Times. "Which proves my point: So much of what passes for news is name-calling, half-truths and desperation.".Since taking over, Licht has aggressively adopted a mission to transform CNN into a reputable news outlet, cutting. overly partisan personalities, making significant programming changes and initiating layoffs..In August, Licht said growing pains would result in changes that existing employees will not like.."I want to acknowledge that this is a time of significant change, and I know that many of you are unsettled," Licht told CNN employees at the time. "There will be more changes and you might not understand it or like it.".Among Licht’s first moves was the ouster of pundits and anchors such as Brian Stelter and John Harwood, both of whom were known for their sharp criticism of former president Trump and other conservative figures..Under former network president Jeff Zucker, coverage of Trump and the various scandals that surrounded his presidency on CNN was heavy, and top hosts, especially in prime time, spent hours lambasting the former president and his allies..Licht also demoted Don Lemon from his prime-time evening program, moving him to co-host of ‘CNN This Morning’ with Kaitlyn Collins and Poppy Harlow..The most recent change was laying off hundreds of employees to slash as much as US$100 million from CNN's budget..Licht told The New York Times that the layoffs were the "low point" of his tenure as CEO..Insiders and many outside of CNN say Licht is taking the network to a more centrist position, which he denied in an interview with the Financial Times in November..“One of the biggest misconceptions about my vision is that I want to be vanilla, that I want to be centrist. That is bullsh*t. You have to be compelling. You have to have an edge. In many cases you take a side. Sometimes you just point out uncomfortable questions. But either way you don’t see it through a lens of left or right.”.In a separate interview with journalist Kara Swisher, Licht said, “I want people leading and stacking their shows in a way based on journalism and what’s important.”.“Let me worry about the ratings. Chase stories, not ratings.”
