The cable network’s CEO dramatic hiring and firing of on-air talent seems designed to woo the Fox News crowd

CNN has a very odd definition of ‘objectivity’

CNN wants to be the new Fox News and it’s not even trying to hide it. Earlier this year Chris Licht became the new CEO of the cable network and immediately made it clear that he was going to change the network’s direction. One of Licht’s first moves was to embark on what Axios described as a “Capitol Hill diplomacy tour” and others described as a Republican boot-licking tour. Licht met with key lawmakers who had become wary of cable news and promised them that CNN was moving away from “alarmist” programming towards more neutral, objective reporting.

What does that mean in practice? Well, it appears to mean firing anyone who is critical of Donald Trump or Republicans. Last month CNN suddenly axed Brian Stelter’s Sunday show in a move many commentators considered politically motivated; Stelter had been an outspoken critic of Trump and was reviled by many on the right. Earlier this month White House correspondent John Harwood was fired shortly after calling Trump “a dishonest demagogue” on the air.

It’s not just who was fired that is alarming – it’s the abrupt manner in which they were fired. As the media analyst Josh Marshall noted “The most striking thing about Licht’s firings to date is how they are choreographed for … right-wing media consumption and designed to generate mass schadenfreude on the right: the bête noires Fox has been harping on for years suddenly marched to the top of the pyramid and hurled to the ground.” Licht says he’s moving away from sensational news, but he appears to be putting on his own little drama for the right.

After purging progressive voices, Licht has just made his first big hire: announcing on Tuesday that John Miller would be joining CNN as the network’s chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst. Miller isn’t exactly an obvious hire if you’re looking to brandish your new “neutrality” credentials. The former New York police department (NYPD) deputy commissioner of intelligence and counter-terrorism is an extremely polarizing figure who made headlines in March when he testified to the New York city council that the NYPD did not, in his opinion, inappropriately spy on Muslims after the September 11 2001 attacks. Which is a weird thing to say because Pulitzer Prize-winning reporting has clearly shown that the NYPD used census data to spy on Muslims following September 11 and the department has settled a number of lawsuits related to the illegal spying.

A number of Muslims and civil rights activists are alarmed about Miller taking on his new role at CNN. “We have no faith that as chief law enforcement and intelligence analyst at CNN, Miller won’t continue to propagandize on behalf of law enforcement and dismiss clear discrimination against Muslims and other marginalized communities,” Muslim Advocates, a group involved in one of the lawsuits against the NYPD, said in a statement.

Licht doesn’t seem to mind that his new hire may alienate Muslims or anyone who cares about illegal police surveillance programs. He doesn’t seem to find it alarming that his new analyst has been accused of lying about the NYPD surveillance of Muslims. He doesn’t seem to find it awkward that even Eric Adams, the current mayor of New York City and a former police officer, said Miller was “wrong” to deny the existence of the program. Instead, the CNN CEO announced, with a seemingly straight face, that Miller “will help deliver on CNN’s commitment to tackle complex issues while presenting audiences with independent, objective news”.

It’s funny whose views are considered objective and whose aren’t. While Miller’s experiences with the NYPD apparently make him a paragon of neutrality, people from marginalized backgrounds are constantly told that their life experiences make them biased. The Washington Post wouldn’t let its former reporter, Felicia Sonmez, a sexual assault survivor, cover stories on sexual misconduct because of her history and public statements she’d made about it. A Black Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reporter was barred from covering the George Floyd protests over a flippant tweet comparing looters to country music fans. Last year, the Associated Press fired a news associate called Emily Wilder, who is Jewish, for past pro-Palestinian activism and accused her of showing “clear bias”.

So who is CNN going to hire next in order to demonstrate its objectivity? Trump seems to be angling for a job. On Sunday Trump posted on Truth Social that “if ‘low ratings’ CNN ever went Conservative, they would be an absolute gold mine, and I would help them to do so”. The way CNN is going I wouldn’t be surprised if they make Trump their new election integrity analyst next week.

Ginni Thomas has links to anti-abortion groups who lobbied to overturn Roe

Speaking of bias … a new analysis has found 51% of the parties who filed amicus briefs (legal arguments used to lobby justices) calling for an end to a federal abortion right have political connections to Ginni Thomas, who is the wife of the supreme court justice Clarence Thomas. “The Thomases are normalizing the prospect of too close an association between the supreme court and those who litigate before it,” a law professor told the Guardian. “This isn’t the first time that Mrs Thomas has had dealings with those who come before the court and seek her husband’s vote.” A very healthy democracy!

Five Republicans help Democrats block near-total abortion ban in South Carolina

One of the most vocal Republican dissenters was Tom Davis, who said he’d promised his daughters he wouldn’t vote to restrict access to abortion further. Opposition by the five Republicans means that the restrictive abortion bill will head back to the state house. Some good news for once.

Tucker Carlson says he has ‘never met anyone who hates women’

Misogyny simply doesn’t exist said the Fox News host, during an incredibly misogynistic segment about Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.

Rishi Sunak says he’s been an awful father and husband

Sunak, who recently lost the contest to become the UK’s new prime minister to Liz Truss, was recently asked about the greatest sacrifice he’d made during his political career. His answer was that he’d been “an absolutely appalling husband and father” for the last couple of years – which was greeted with applause. Imagine, for a second, a female politician saying something like that. She wouldn’t get applause in response – she’d get a thousand think-pieces chiding her for not being a good mum and calling her selfish for putting her career first.

The week in pawtriarchy

The world is going to the dogs and Dolly Parton has taken note. The singer recently announced the launch of “Doggy Parton”, a line of dog apparel for the pampered pooch. It apparently includes rhinestoned harnesses, cowgirl dresses and blond wigs. Pawfect.