The head of CNN’s coverage of Washington DC and the US’s turbulent political world has been ‘demoted’ as the network grapples with how to report on Donald Trump’s second White House stint, a report said.
Philip Rucker, a former senior editor at The Washington Post, has replaced senior vice president Adam Levine in leading CNN’s Washington output – reportedly leaving the former chief fuming.
Levine previously oversaw CNN’s sprawling Washington bureau, but has now seen his role shrink to running just the network’s investigative team and a new ‘hub desk’, according to Status’ Friday newsletter from Oliver Darcy.
Rucker will now oversee teams responsible for breaking news, enterprise, the White House, Capitol Hill, Justice, and national security.
Insiders noted Levine appeared ‘caught off guard by the sudden power shift’ and was ‘uncomfortable’ as executive editor Virginia Moseley announced the changes at a Thursday night meeting.
‘There’s no question: He was demoted,’ a CNN staffer said.
The changes come as CNN attempts to alter its coverage of Trump’s presidency, with former executive editor of politics Allison Hoffman also reportedly leaving the company ‘quietly.’
CNN is far from the only major broadcaster to face major changes, with several newsrooms facing layoffs