Current and former CNN staffers are slamming reports that the network is trying to “sideline” anchor Jim Acosta in order to “appease” President-elect Donald Trump.
Former CNN reporter Oliver Darcy reported Thursday that CNN Worldwide Chairman and CEO Mark Thompson called Acosta and “delivered the veteran journalist a sudden and strange proposal: Move your show to midnight and anchor it until 2am ET.” Another source told him “They want to get rid of Acosta to throw a bone to Trump. Midnight is not a serious offer when his ratings are among the best on the network.”
Mediaite has confirmed the reporting. A person with knowledge of the situation says Acosta expressed concern about the timing of the move in his conversations with executives — coming just before Trump’s inauguration. Trump clashed frequently with Acosta since Trump’s first term as president, and even lost a court battle when his administration tried to ban Acosta from the White House briefing room.
Now as the host of CNN Newsroom With Jim Acosta, he anchors a dayside news program that routinely outperforms even some primetime shows in the ratings, and which is known for not pulling punches — especially with Trump and Republicans.
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