I’ve been keeping an eye on something the last few weeks. CNN is beginning a transition back to a news network instead of a hack political arm of the radical left. New CEO David Zaslav has actually been putting his money where his mouth is by approaching non-Cheney Republican politicians about coming on the network. He struck out across the board, but he tried. If he is genuine about this, CNN can catch Fox News.
Oh Remember
Remember when Fox News claimed to be fair and balanced. They can now claim to be unfair and unbalanced. They are a complete mess without an identity. You have to believe Zaslav sees this as an opportunity. If Zaslav can attract the Fox viewers that have grown tired of Fox’s schizophrenic coverage, it could be significant.
The New Model
From what I can tell, Zaslav’s new model is to be a news channel rather than an opinion box. For those of you who can’t remember, that’s the old model news networks used to use. So, instead of having a Don Lemon, Tucker Carlson or Sean Hannity, you present the news just like my local station does every night at 10pm.
Zaslav might be on to something here. Get some unbiased anchors who cover all events (not just political) and have open and non-confrontational interviews with guests representing all of America. And then, actually listen to the guests and respect their comments and opinions. When you have two interviewees at one time that have opposing opinions, you moderate the interview and allow each guest to represent her/his ideas without judgement.
A Hypothetical Example
Let’s look at at how CNN’s coverage of the raid on Trump’s home would look like using their new model.
The news anchors report that the FBI raided Trump’s home in Mar-a-Lago and that they don’t know why or what they are looking for. But, they will continue to provide updates.
CNN invites Trump’s attorney to be interviewed since she was there when it happened. In a non-confrontational interview, they allow the attorney to share her side of the story. The anchors are allowed to ask some tough journalistic questions along the way.
CNN invites Merrick Garland and/or Christopher Wray to be interviewed. They are allowed to present their side of the event without being made into Gods by the anchors. And, the anchors actually ask some tough journalistic questions instead of softball questions.
Back to the Basics
I have coached a lot of youth sports. Sometimes when my team would lose several games in a row, I would say we need to get back to the basics. Like perfecting fielding ground balls in baseball.
If Zaslav can get CNN back to the basics, he has a golden opportunity right now. People despise the mainstream media almost more than they despise our government. If he can genuinely transition CNN into what Fox News always wished they could be, he would turn the media on it’s head.
And Finally
If this is a trick by Zaslav, he will singlehandedly finish the destruction of CNN once and for all. And, they will never win back the trust of anyone ever again. I mention this caution because he comes from the Stephen Colbert show, and that show is a complete disaster.
But, if Zaslav is genuine, this could be a comeback story for the ages. I see a person who appears to see an opportunity and is willing to put himself out there to pursue it. It won’t be easy and there will be a lot of humiliation. But, if he can pull it off, he will be seen as the person who restored journalism in news coverage. If he builds it, we will come!
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