CNN is denying a recent report that its head Mark Thompson recently met with officials in President Trump’s administration and afterward urged staff at the network to ease up on its coverage of the White House renovation project, which has torn down the East Wing.
The report, published in the media-news outlet Status, cited people familiar who said staffers at the WarnerBros. Discovery-owned cable channel were “taken aback,” after Thompson, who they said generally does not weigh in on daily editorial matters, suggested CNNs’ viewership “isn’t all that interested in the story.”
Thompson had been at the White House last week meeting the Trump administration officials about the network’s new direct-to-consumer streaming service, Status reported, noting it is commonplace for the heads of major news networks to meet with West Wing officials to shore up professional rapport and establish lines of communication.
On Monday morning, a representative for CNN confirmed to The Hill Thompson’s recent visit to the White House, but pushed back on the Status report suggesting he urged its journalists ease up on coverage of White House construction controversy.
“This is reckless and irresponsible conjecture without any fact checking done prior to publication,” a spokesperson for the network said.
Trump’s recent demolition of the East Wing to construct a new multi-million dollar ballroom has sparked a wave of criticism, including from historians and preservation groups.
The administration has dismissed those attacks and critical media coverage as “manufactured outrage,” while White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said last week the president “wants to do right by the people’s house.”
WarnerBros. Discovery, CNN’s parent company, recently announced plans for a sale, sparking speculation the company could merge with another massive media conglomerate in the coming months, a deal that would likely need approval from Trump’s administration to clear.
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