CNN Lays Off Almost Entire Division Weeks After Saying it Was a ‘Crazy Rumour’
News outlet faces mockery after denying rumours of staff lay offs
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Establishment media outlet CNN has laid off nearly all of its health care coverage division on Tuesday, despite the network attempting to dispel the “crazy rumor” less than three weeks ago.
The news outlet released most staff from the division, which is based out of Atlanta, earlier this week.
But Dr. Sanjay Gupta is expected to survive the layoffs, however.
According to a report from Fox News:
TVNewser, a media watchdog site started by CNN’s Brian Stelter, managed to get confirmation from the network — just in time for a Friday news dump.
“As part of the normal course of business, our newsgathering team made a small restructure earlier this week that ultimately impacts 6-7 employees within CNN’s Health Unit,” a CNN spokesperson told TVNewser’s A.J. Katz.
Many health department staffers met with human resources on Tuesday. Katz noted that correspondent Elizabeth Cohen is also safe.
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Katz confirmed that three divisions—CNN Health, CNN Climate, and the network’s Atlanta-based Southeast Burea would be merged into one.
The layoffs came as a massive shock for employees as the CNN Health “is considered successful,” adding the fact that they flatly denied the rumors earlier this month, the network now appears to be in trouble.
Even executive vice president Allison Gollust insisted there were “no mass layoffs” in the works on May 7, according to Fox News.
“I have no idea where that crazy rumor came from,” she said.
“We have recently offered a voluntary buyout option for employees, and just over 100 people voluntarily decided to take it.
That’s it. We have nearly 4,000 people at CNN … and around 100 of them exercised the option for a program that was offered. That’s it. Those are the facts.”
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CNN reporter Brian Stelter confirmed in May that "about 100 people opted for" - what he called - "voluntary buyouts throughout the organization" in a bid to quash swirling rumors of involuntary job cuts, claiming there are “no layoffs.”
The outlet also faces a massive $250 million lawsuit over their coverage of the Covington Catholic High School student Nick Sandmann in March.
Attorney L. Lin Wood explained how CNN's s reporting and coverage of Sandman following confrontation video between the pupil and native activist Nathan Philips aided in his decision to sue.
“CNN was probably more vicious in its direct attacks on Nicholas than The Washington Post. And CNN goes into millions of individuals' homes,” Wood said in a Fox News interview.
In August last year, CNN suffered a decline in cable ratings, according to Nielsen Media Research.
Meanwhile, MSNBC primetime host Rachel Maddow saw her weekly ratings plummet in the last week
Maddow's show saw 2,324,000 viewers on average last week, with an average audience of 337,000 falling within the 25-54 age demographic.
