After Death of Media Pioneer, CNN Personalities Urge the Network To ‘Carry Forward’ Ted Turner’s Legacy

In the wake of the death of the pioneering media mogul and CNN founder, Ted Turner, some personalities at the network are urging staffers to “carry forward” his legacy as the network is set to be acquired by Paramount Skydance. After the news of Turner’s death on Wednesday, the president of CNN’s parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, David Zaslav, said in a memo that CNN “fundamentally changed how the world experiences history in real time, and its impact on journalism continues to be felt every day through the work of our teams.”He urged network staffers to “carry forward the legacy [Turner] built.”CNN’s chief media analyst, Brian Stelter, seemed to argue that the network should keep on its current path, saying, “CNN has changed hands many times. The brand has expanded in many ways. And through it all, this place has endured. And that’s a testament to Ted as well. On this day of all days, we should say he created something that outlasted him. That’s his immortality, it is his legacy. And for the thousands of people who work here as we face another merger, now set to be taken over by Paramount in the coming months, it’s our obligation to carry that forward.”The owner of several sports teams, Turner revolutionized television news in June 1980 when he launched CNN out of Atlanta, far from the news capitals of Washington, D.C. and New York City. While the network was in its infancy in the early 1980s it was sometimes mocked as “Chicken Noodle News,” but its coverage of the Gulf War in 1991 helped to revolutionize television and showed the appeal and power of the 24/7 news cycle. However, even before the birth of alternative cable news outlet Fox News in 1996, CNN had become a source of frustration and ridicule among Republicans who claimed the network had turned into a left-wing outlet that produces unbiased and unfactual journalism.President Trump reacted to the news of the death of the media pioneer, writing on Truth Social, “Ted Turner, one of the Greats of All Time, just died. He founded CNN, sold it, and was personally devastated by the Deal because the new ownership took CNN, his ‘baby,’ and destroyed it.”“Maybe the new buyers, wonderful people, will be able to bring it back to its former credibility and glory. Regardless, however, one of the Greats of Broadcast History, and a friend of mine,” Mr. Trump said.Several commentators suggested that CNN has seen a dramatic departure from Turner’s original vision. Conservative pundit Jonathan Fahey, wrote, “Use this as inspiration to right the ship at CNN. Put your political agenda aside and report the news.”“CNN has waffled between extreme anti Trump psychosis and moderate coverage over the last 10 years. It has no identity,” wrote Newsmax’s Rob Schmitt.The network has few personalities who are pro-MAGA or sympathetic to Republicans on air. One of the network’s main conservative commentators, Scott Jennings, has reportedly frustrated his colleagues by bringing a conservative perspective to panel discussions. Liberal commentators have frequently complained about his commentary, claiming that it is full of falsehoods. They have also voiced frustration with his behavior. Last week, Mr. Jennings was criticized after he told a younger panelist to “get your [expletive] hand out of my face.”Turner’s death comes at a sensitive time for CNN staffers who are bracing for the acquisition by Skydance Media, whose CEO is David Ellison, the son of Trump supporter and Oracle founder, Larry Ellison. Last summer, Skydance acquired CBS News’s parent company, Paramount Global. Lawyers for Skydance made written commitments to the Federal Communications Commission, which was reviewing the deal, that CBS would produce fair journalism and hire an ombudsman to review complaints of bias. Since Skydance took over CBS, executives have embarked on a mission to address conservatives’ complaints of an anti-Israel and anti-MAGA bias. The editor-in-chief of CBS, Bari Weiss, named a morning show host, Tony Dokoupil, the new anchor of the “CBS Evening News.” Mr. Dokoupil promised viewers he would focus on the perspective of average Americans, not academics. While CBS has produced numerous interviews and stories that have provoked the ire of Mr. Trump since the takeover, liberals have expressed concerns that executives are seeking to shift the editorial tone to be friendlier to the president. Last week, a “60 Minutes” correspondent, Sharyn Alfonsi, spoke out about what she called an “aggressive contagion,” which she said is “the spread of corporate meddling and editorial fear.” Ms. Alfonsi was referring to CBS’s decision to withhold her “60 Minutes” story about the Trump administration’s policy of deporting illegal immigrants to a prison in El Salvador. The segment aired four weeks after its originally scheduled run date.In the wake of Turner’s passing, some CNN personalities have spoken out about how the network should act during the acquisition, and expectations that the new owners will similarly try to address conservatives’ complaints of bias.On Wednesday, a veteran CNN journalist, Christiane Amanpour, appeared at the Truth Tellers Sir Harry Evans Investigative Journalism Summit at London said she has “concern” about Mr. Ellison’s potential influence.“Clearly I’m concerned, and I’m not sure how much I’m allowed to say about a corporate thing that’s underway, but I am, obviously, as a person, as a journalist with a record, concerned,” said Ms. Amanpour, who has frequently been accused of a pro-Iran bias. “I’m concerned based on what’s happened to the other things that he’s taken over already like CBS News right? I mean, do I have to list what’s happening there?”She specifically criticized the “ideological realignment” at CBS and the “destruction potentially of ‘60 Minutes’.”While Ms. Amanpour shared her concerns about the future of CNN, Mr. Ellison told reporters in March that the network’s editorial independence “needs to be maintained.” However, he did signal that some changes may come since the network should speak to the “70 percent” of Americans who are not on the far-right or far-left.

After Death of Media Pioneer, CNN Personalities Urge the Network To ‘Carry Forward’ Ted Turner’s Legacy

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