Simply 5 days after The Atlantic printed an in-depth have a look at CNN Chairman and CEO Chris Licht’s troubled tenure on the community, together with hours of on-the-record interviews with Licht, he was unceremoniously let go, The Guardian reported.
When members of the media described Licht turning CNN into “Fox Information Lite,” he shrugged the feedback off in The Atlantic piece.
“That is too vital for me to be apprehensive about what somebody’s calling me or suggesting I’m making an attempt to be,” Licht mentioned within the article. “That is so mission-driven and so vital. I genuinely am—I get mad, I get pissed off, but it surely doesn’t, like, have an effect on me. Does that make sense?”
However public notion did matter, nonetheless.
Licht made a sequence of weighty selections throughout his 12 months within the put up, together with layoffs, firing anchors and extra not too long ago, an almost-crippling transfer to host Donald Trump throughout a city corridor that went awry.
The place it went fallacious
CNN defined in a latest article:
The Guardian reported that Licht apologized to CNN staff shortly after The Atlantic protection.
“I met with Chris and he shall be leaving CNN,” David Zaslav, chief govt officer of mother or father firm Warner Bros. Discovery, knowledgeable CNN staff throughout an everyday editorial assembly.
Zaslav was not thrilled about The Atlantic’s article, “Contained in the Meltdown at CNN, which some really feel was dealt with incorrectly, CNBC reported.
CNBC explains that Licht addressed the decision throughout a workers assembly earlier than his departure:
Licht mentioned in the course of the name he understands staffers’ frustration and is intent on incomes his staff’ belief, mentioned the individuals. He didn’t particularly communicate to why he participated in The Atlantic profile, wherein reporter Tim Alberta spent months with Licht, together with becoming a member of him on the fitness center throughout a private coaching session and attending backstage CNN programming rehearsals. Licht’s remarks had been quick, mentioned the individuals, who weren’t approved to debate the matter publicly.
Licht talked about his journey in a press release.
“This was an thrilling however extremely difficult project and I realized lots over the previous 13 months,” he mentioned within the CNN article. “I’ve been fortunate sufficient to have had a profitable, fulfilling profession and I sit up for my subsequent chapter. I want the crew at CNN the easiest, all the time.”
What went left on this state of affairs? All the pieces. Licht spoke, maybe, too plainly to The Atlantic Correspondent Tim Alberta who interviewed him starting final fall.
“This was the primary of many on-the-record interviews that Licht had agreed to present me, and I needed to understand how CNN’s new chief deliberate to take care of one other Donald Trump candidacy,” Alberta mentioned within the article.
Why it issues: Licht’s large failures had been broadly highlighted within the article, which he spoke about frankly.
Media relations is a strong device if wielded accurately. It might elevate up giants and convey them down simply as shortly.
The latter was the case with Licht. Whereas belief and transparency are elementary instruments that assist PR professionals and journalists navigate skilled relationships, discretion and silence is golden, too.
Licht’s guard greater than doubtless was down over the past handful of months and he constructed rapport with The Atlantic correspondent and trusted him. The Atlantic article got here again to hang-out him in an enormous manner. The writing was already on the wall given CNN’s fast descent after the city corridor, however the article was the nail within the coffin.
This serves as a strong reminder of being cautious what you say to journalists. It doesn’t matter what rapport you might construct with them, they’re journalists — not your good friend, not your therapist. Assume the whole lot is on the document. Work with the executives in your group to assist them perceive this, and if potential, be current within the room for his or her interviews so you’ll be able to help in the event that they begin to go too far.
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Sherri Kolade is a author at Ragan Communications. When she is just not along with her household, she enjoys watching Alfred Hitchcock-style movies, studying and constructing an authentically curated life that features greater than often discovering one thing deliciously fried. Observe her on LinkedIn. Have an excellent PR story concept? Electronic mail her at sherrik@ragan.com.
