CNN chief: ‘Journalism is threatened’ by the Trump administration
CNN’s president is worried about the future of the press.
“Journalism is threatened by senior officials in our own government,” Jeff Zucker said during an Overseas Press Club of America awards gala Thursday night, New York Times reporter Liam Stack tweeted.
The comment seemed to be a knock on President Donald Trump’s administration, which is entering its 100th day this weekend. And it is not the first time Zucker has jabbed the White House.
In January, he claimed Trump is seeking to “delegitimize journalism.”
“It’s just unfortunate that the most powerful person in the world is trying to delegitimize journalism and an organization that plays such a vital role in our democracy,” Zucker told New York magazine. “I think he’s entitled to his opinion, but it’s — to use one of his favorite words — sad.”
Those remarks came in response to Trump calling CNN “fake news” after the cable news network published a bombshell report showing U.S. intelligence officials had briefed the president on claims that the Kremlin had collected compromising information about him.
Just days before, BuzzFeed News published the unedited — and unverified — opposition-research dossier referenced in the intelligence briefing. The package also included allegations about potential ties between Russian officials and Trump campaign associates.
Trump has been very successful in irking reporters by referring to their journalism as “fake news.” In fact, CNN’s White House correspondent, Jim Acosta, has countered the president’s claim with the Twitter hashtag “#realnews.”
In February, Trump claimed via Twitter that “the FAKE NEWS media” — which, in his mind, includes CNN, the New York Times, ABC, NBC, and CBS — “is the enemy of the American People!”
Earlier that same month, Trump tweeted that CNN was an “unwatchable” network.
“The only way he knows this is if he’s watching it,” Zucker told the New York Post at the time.
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