Everyone knew that CNN hosting a town hall event for Trump, who was recently found liable for sexual abuse and defamation would be a massive mistake for the network—everyone except for CNN CEO Chris Licht. When Licht took charge, the network took a rightward turn, and they've been losing viewers.
The Atlantic did an eye-opening profile on Licht that revealed much about the CNN head's line of thinking.
"Have fun," Licht told Trump, who was happy to oblige, according to journalist Tim Alberta.
He demeaned the woman, E. Jean Carroll, whom a jury had one day earlier found him liable for sexually abusing. He repeated disproved fictions about election fraud and suggested that he would separate families at the southern border again if given the chance. He insulted Collins, calling her "a nasty person" as the crowd hissed in agreement.
That's expected from Trump. His narcissistic brain makes him incapable of acting like a human with emotions.
Licht defended his idea to fill the audience with Ultra MAGAs. So many mistakes were made.
What happened next was a case of journalistic malpractice.
Live television is a volatile thing. People and sets and scripts are always being changed for all kinds of reasons. Still, CNN employees had reason to be suspicious. They wondered if some sort of deal had been cut with Trump’s team, promising the placement of approved panelists in exchange for his participation in the town hall. At the least, even absent some official agreement, it seemed obvious that CNN leaders had been contorting the coverage to keep Trump happy—perhaps to prevent him from walking offstage. At one point during the pregame show, when the words sexual abuse appeared on the CNN chyron, one of Licht’s lieutenants phoned the control room. His instructions stunned everyone who overheard them: The chyron needed to come down immediately.
Instead of offering facts, the network decided to hide them from its viewers. Trump was found guilty of sexual abuse and demeaned his victim on CNN. What a disgrace.
