CNN journalists offer brutal assessment of why their network is failing

CNN's stubbornly leftist journalists think they know why their viewers are abandoning ship in record numbers - they're not going hard enough against Donald Trump anymore. 

That is the suggestion from reporters who spoke anonymously to The Washington Post this week as the network recovered from some of its lowest ratings ever.

Insiders claim a decision to hold a town hall with the president-elect back in May 2023 upset staff and viewers, as did the decision not to fact check Trump during his debate earlier this year.

'It is widely felt at CNN that we didn't meet the mark,' one CNN journalist, who requested to remain anonymous, said of the network's election coverage.

CNN has insisted it remains a leader among networks and on its digital platform and TV viewership is down across the board. 

'I think a lot of it can be explained by the viewers making a decision that they just don't like what we're doing,' the journalist added. 'The viewers are pretty smart.' 

Among the coveted 24 to 54 viewer demographic - referred to as 'demo viewers' - CNN's daily audience dropped by one percent from last year down from 94,000 day  to 92,000 this year, Mediaite reported based on to data from Nielsen Media Research.

The media outlet only accounted for 11 percent of cable news viewers during prime time last month after the election. 

Since Trump's presidential win, CNN's prime time viewership has slumped by 52 percent, according to Mediaite. 

The network is also navigating several changes in leadership in the last few years.

Former CEO Chris Licht was recently given the boot and replaced by former New York Times co-chief Mark Thompson following a brief and disastrous tenure.

Licht was given a mandate to reshape the network to appeal to more people on each side of America's political spectrum, however many feel this has backfired.

Several left wing voices have been ousted, including veteran anchor Chris Wallace who reportedly left due to dismal ratings.

Meanwhile, there was speculation that political journalist John Harwood was laid off after he referred to Trump as a 'dishonest demagogue'.

Today, Republican strategist Scott Jennings, an ally Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky, is a regular fixture - causing consternation among some progressive staffers.

 While former CNN CEO Jeff Zucker relished going toe to toe with Trump, it's thought Thompson will take a more mediated approach.

The presidet-elect previously sued CNN in 2022 and stripped White House correspondent Jim Acosta of his press pass. 

Both actions were overturned by the courts but there is a fear that the president-elect will make good on his threats to go after his political enemies during his return to office. 

Meanwhile Chris Cilizza, a former political journalist for the network, said that CNN is struggling to carve out a profitable space in the crowded media landscape.

The network has now launched a $3.99 subscription service for online content, although this has come much later than many of its competitors.

'I think that the only sustainable model for any big distributed content company is to have a subscription,' Cilliza said.

 'What's hard for me is: What is CNN known for? CNN is known for breaking news. People turn it on when something big happens. And I think that's a really good brand journalistically, but I just don't know how you make money off it.' 

TV also remains where outlets make their money, so ratings are essential to secure jobs.

'Ratings control everything,' said a former senior producer said. 'It controls the money, it controls the influence, and it's a huge morale issue. You can worry about the future all you want, but right now TV is where the money is and where the reputation is.' 

In a news release last week, CNN pointed out that it was still the fourth most-watched daytime cable network throughout the day, averaging 493,000 total viewers.  

It also increased its prime-time audience more than 20 percent compared with 2023.