Are staffers at CNN “shocked” over Jeff Zucker’s relationship reveal, or solely as a result of he obtained pressured out over it? The reply to that query has large implications not for Zucker however for CNN and its reporters, maybe particularly these centered on media retailers not named CNN.
In his exit assertion, Zucker claimed that his relationship with EVP and former Andrew Cuomo comms directer Allison Gollust solely got here to gentle in an investigation into Chris Cuomo. Each he and Gollust insisted that their romantic relationship solely started “not too long ago,” with Gollust claiming it started through the COVID pandemic. That’s nonsense, reviews Roland Martin, who claims that their sexual relationship was an ‘open secret’ when he labored at CNN briefly in 2013:
It was an open secret at @CNN that Jeff Zucker and Allison Golust, who he employed as head of communications, had been having an affair. I used to be solely there with them for 4 months in 2013 and knew. NBC of us knew once they labored collectively there. @katiecouric intimated that in her e-book! https://t.co/6ghezmFiws
— rolandsmartin (@rolandsmartin) February 2, 2022
Oddly sufficient, Soledad O’Brien additionally left CNN in 2013 and stated the identical factor:
(Was mainly an open secret, so the ‘surprised’ half is that he’s resigning, not the connection) https://t.co/82KwYcrFFc
— Soledad O’Brien (@soledadobrien) February 2, 2022
I encourage you to google the 2 events and skim the small print about their relationship that dates again years. That stated, I’m positive firm emails can simply decide if she’s mendacity on this assertion. Once more—It was an open secret and I haven’t even labored there for like 8 years. https://t.co/C0yDBsGOdc
— Soledad O’Brien (@soledadobrien) February 2, 2022
Don’t neglect that Zucker began at CNN in January 2013, bringing Gollust with him nearly instantly. This ‘open secret,’ if it was in reality one, would have been a part of the working Zucker atmosphere since nearly Day 1.
Not solely does this variation the whole dynamic round Zucker and the Cuomos, but additionally across the newsroom, particularly its media critiques. It’s not as if the Cuomo Brothers Present went unnoticed in any case. When CNN donated its airwaves to advertise Andrew Cuomo because the true nationwide pandemic chief, media critics howled over the battle of curiosity between the 2 brothers. Zucker stored defending Chris Cuomo regardless, and didn’t punish Cuomo for failing to reveal favors he obtained from his brother relating to medical help, despite the fact that that arguably violated payola laws. Solely when Cuomo obtained credibly accused of sexual harassment did Zucker again down.
On the similar time, CNN media critic Oliver Darcy centered his laser consideration on Fox Information for its supposed moral violations. Brian Stelter, CNN’s chief media critic and host of media-focused Dependable Sources, defended each the Cuomos and CNN administration. Bear in mind this bizarre interview with Colbert in August?
.@CNN’s media reporter @brianstelter says of the community’s much-criticized dealing with of the @ChrisCuomo–@NYGovCuomo battle:
“If we open up the journalism ethics e-book, there is no such thing as a web page for this. It’s the craziest set of circumstances you may think about.”pic.twitter.com/oleGUiiS6Y
— Kenneth P. Vogel (@kenvogel) August 11, 2021
The Daily Beast’s Matt Wilstein discovered himself flabbergasted on the efficiency:
When Colbert added, incredulously, “Actually? What are the boundaries?” Stelter went on to defend his community for basically saying there is no such thing as a affordable expectation that the Cuomo brothers wouldn’t communicate. The host has been similarly pilloried this week for giving CNN what Washington Publish media critic Erik Wemple referred to as a sequence of “moist kisses” on his Dependable Sources present this previous Sunday morning.
However as Colbert identified, Chris Cuomo “didn’t discuss his brother as soon as the difficulty began,” one thing Stelter stated got here down straight from CNN administration. “Then why didn’t they rule that means when his brother was on just about each night time through the COVID disaster?” Colbert requested. “That looks like an odd battle of guidelines.”
Stelter would solely say that it’s “actually sophisticated,” including that there’s “no web page for this” scenario within the “journalism ethics e-book” and that it’s “positively awkward” for CNN.
If Zucker’s affair with Gollust was an open secret at CNN, although, that adjustments this alternate considerably. If Stelter knew that Zucker was sleeping with Golulst, the previous Andrew Cuomo comms director, he would have recognized — or at the very least had a reasonably good suspicion — why and the way the Cuomos had been getting preferential remedy. It could have expanded the conflicts of curiosity at CNN past the Cuomos to the CNN chief himself. Had that occurred at another community, particularly Fox, Stelter and Darcy would have ripped them to shreds over it. As an alternative, we now have watched Stelter dance round this for 2 years, apparently whereas everybody knew in regards to the Stelter-Gollust-Cuomos dynamic.
In different phrases, this reveal simply made CNN’s pretense at media criticism an utter sham.
And the stain goes past that to the whole CNN reportorial employees, though to a a lot lesser diploma. A lot of the remainder of CNN’s line-up don’t take purpose at rivals, so hypocrisy actually doesn’t apply right here. Did they’ve an obligation to reveal Zucker’s affair with Gollust and that connection to the Cuomos through the Cuomo Brothers Circus? Possibly arguably, however that may have been a tough ask. Nonetheless, the omission of that battle of curiosity till now isn’t going to assist their credibility, nevertheless honest or unfair it is likely to be.
In different phrases, this mess is simply starting, as Janice Dean remarked:
“That is only the start. That is going to be an enormous mess for @CNN” reporter from @radar_online who broke the story.
— Janice Dean (@JaniceDean) February 2, 2022
It’s a wholly self-inflicted mess. And on that time, the place was CNN’s overseers at ATT and WarnerMedia? If the newsroom knew about this affair in 2013, they will’t presumably anticipate the remainder of us to imagine that the company execs above Zucker didn’t find out about it, too. They didn’t take any motion on Zucker through the Cuomos’ reign of error regardless of the plain conflicts of curiosity and dangers of injury to the community’s credibility. Had been Zucker’s low rankings actually that beneficial?
Addendum: The plot thickens.
Probably essential: I’m instructed CNN acquired a litigation maintain letter not too long ago from Chris Cuomo attorneys, demanding, amongst different issues, preservation of all communications between Zucker, comms chief Allison Gollust, and Andrew Cuomo.
— Matthew Belloni (@MattBelloni) February 2, 2022
That may clarify why Zucker lastly resigned.
Source: HotAir
