A top White House reporter slammed CNN for the explanation behind their decision to not renew her contributor contract after she decided to join a different publication earlier this week.
Eliana Johnson announced that she will leaving Politico to lead a conservative outlet, the Washington Free Beacon. Following the announcement, it was reported that CNN will not be renewing her contract when it ends in November, according to Buzzfeed News.
“CNN has a right to tap or drop contributors at any point. None of us is entitled to a contract renewal,” Johnson said, however her tone shifted on social media days later.
In response to Buzzfeed’s story, which the reporter Matt Berman posted on Twitter, CNN spokesman Matt Dornic tweeted Wednesday, “This framing is misleading. Eliana is still a CNN contrib & will remain one through Nov. We signed her because, as you put it, ‘she was a top White House reporter’ who was ‘breaking significant news.’ She’s now pursuing a different career path and off that beat. Simple as that.”
This framing is misleading. Eliana is still a CNN contrib & will remain one through Nov. We signed her because, as you put it, “she was a top White House reporter” who was “breaking significant news.” She’s now pursuing a different career path and off that beat. Simple as that.
— Matt Dornic (@mdornic) September 5, 2019
In response, she tweeted, “I didn’t realize becoming the first female editor-in-chief of a conservative news site was ‘pursing a different career path.’ I’ll still be in the news-breaking business. And perhaps even covering the White House.”
Johnson expanded on those remarks, telling the Washington Examiner, “CNN is free to add or drop contributors without explanation and they were under no obligation to provide one for declining to renew my contract. But I take exception to a network spokesman characterizing my move from beat reporter at Politico to editor-in-chief of the Washington Free Beacon, as a decision to pursue ‘a different career path.’ I assure you that at the Beacon, as at Politico, I’ll be in the news-breaking business.”
I didn’t realize becoming the first female editor-in-chief of a conservative news site was “pursing a different career path.” I’ll still be in the newsbreaking business. And perhaps even covering the White House.
— Eliana Johnson (@elianayjohnson) September 6, 2019
Dornic declined to comment when asked by the Washington Examiner.
