CNN anchor Jake Tapper said on Monday that “things are really good right now” at his network since embattled chief Chris Licht was fired, adding that the morale at the cable news pioneer is the best it’s been “in years.”
Appearing on Kara Swisher’s podcast to ostensibly promote his latest novel, Tapper was inevitably pressed about Licht’s tumultuous reign and the executive’s sudden firing amid rock-bottom ratings, bad press, and internal strife.
According to the veteran anchor, he was initially “excited” that Licht was tapped to take over for longtime president Jeff Zucker, who was extremely popular with CNN staffers but was pushed out over an affair with his top lieutenant.
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“At that point Zucker had already left, and I adored Jeff, and I would like for Jeff not to have left, but he did,” Tapper stated. “So I was in a new reality and the reality was, well, who are they gonna pick? And I’d heard a lot of names, some of whom I knew, some of whom I knew by reputation, and Chris was, without question, the best name I heard. And I was excited about it.”
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He went on to say that while he agreed “wholeheartedly” with Licht’s nonpartisan approach to journalism, he didn’t feel CNN needed a “wholesale revision” but rather just a “few tweaks.” In Tapper’s opinion, CNN—along with the entire news industry—had been “knocked off our equilibrium” due to the disruption of Donald Trump’s presidency.
Asked whether he felt the “firing was the right thing to do,” the CNN stalwart said he wasn’t “here to judge” whether it was the correct move. At the same time, however, he lauded the executive team that replaced Licht and noted that the network’s employees seem genuinely happy.
“I’m bummed that it didn’t work out. But I will say that things are really good right now,” he declared, adding that he “legitimately” loves and admires the four executives in charge of the network at the moment.
“I think they’re doing a great job and the focus is back our journalism, not on palace intrigue and not on media criticism,” he concluded. “And morale hasn’t been better in years.”
Late last month, CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy, who was scolded by Licht for honestly reporting on the negative internal backlash to CNN’s Trump town hall, noted that “CNN has gone back to its roots” following the exec’s ouster.
“With Licht gone and a new leadership team in place providing the necessary editorial support, that fear is dissipating, resulting in a noticeable change in tone,” Darcy wrote.
