CNN President Mark Thompson told more than 100 journalists and top broadcast talents, including Jake Tapper and Anderson Cooper, that they should avoid “pre-judging” President Donald Trump before taking office. He warned them not to “express their anger” during the ceremony. According to the report.
Mr. Thompson convened a virtual editorial meeting on Sunday that included Mr. Tapper, Mr. Cooper and a number of other senior news personalities to discuss CNN's coverage of the inaugural ceremony in Washington, D.C., the following day. According to the Status Newsletter.
According to Status reporter Oliver Darcy, during the meeting, CEO Thompson “made it clear he didn't want reporting that would rehash the past,” which was a sign that CNN and Trump have historically been hostile. It is said that it hinted at a relationship.
According to reports, Thompson not only sought to avoid editorial, but also to avoid focusing on President Trump's legal issues, including his conviction for falsifying business documents related to his alleged hush-money payments to Stormy Daniel. It is said that the purpose was to distract from the news.
Instead, he urged CNN staff to focus on President Trump's second term and “keep an open mind” about the next four years, according to Status.
A CNN spokesperson declined to comment.
After the call ended, Thompson opened the floor for staff to ask questions, but no one spoke, the report said.
“What Thompson and the other executives communicated was clear, and it appears that no one in the meeting wanted to question the leadership,” Darcy wrote.
On Tuesday, Thompson called another virtual editorial meeting to reiterate his message.
Thompson told CNN staff they should be “tough-minded” but also “fair-minded” in interviews, Status reported.
During the conference call, CNN Editor-in-Chief Virginia Moseley joked that CNN has been “ineffective” at dealing with the relentless news cycle created by President Trump, a challenge that will continue to emerge in the coming years. It will intensify rapidly.
Thompson's strategy marks a shift in the network's Trump coverage under former CNN chief Jeff Zucker.
CNN has struggled to catch up with MSNBC and Fox News in the ratings race, and that's reflected in the inauguration numbers.
FOX News, which shares co-ownership with the Post, dominated television viewership during President Trump's inauguration, drawing 10.3 million viewers between 11:30 a.m. ET and 1 p.m. ET. Outperformed all networks.
ABC, NBC, and CBS followed with 4.7 million, 4.4 million, and 4.1 million viewers, respectively.
By comparison, CNN's coverage of Trump's second inauguration drew 1.135 million total viewers, surpassing MSNBC and reaching 1.802 million during the oath of office and inaugural address.
The network has promoted digital and streaming platforms such as the CNN.com website and Max service.
CNN Max had record engagement on Inauguration Day in 2025, ranking among the top 10 days since its launch in fall 2023.
CNN Digital also surged, reaching 21 million unique visitors and peaking at 541,000 concurrent streams across the platform, its best performance since election week, according to internal data obtained by The Post. Recorded.
Overall television viewership for the event was significantly lower than President Trump's inauguration in 2017, reflecting a significant decline in cable viewership over the years.
Trump's first inauguration in 2017 drew about 30.6 million viewers, while Joe Biden's 2021 inauguration drew about 33.8 million viewers.
In contrast, Trump's second inauguration in 2025 saw a decline in viewership, with about 24.6 million viewers, the lowest since Barack Obama's second inauguration in 2013. Ta.
Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN's parent company, has said it wants the network to adopt a more neutral tone in its dealings with President Trump.
During Zucker's tenure, CNN reporters and anchors regularly published op-eds while covering the first Trump administration from 2017 to 2021.
Jim Acosta, a former senior White House correspondent, regularly clashed with President Trump.
In line with CNN's new policy, Thompson reportedly wants Acosta to broadcast his nightly show starting at midnight. Areas that traditionally have low viewership.
