The job of every news organization is to inform its readers. The primary goals for good writers and reporters should be objectivity and truth-seeking, but no one can deny the reality that every news organization pulls a majority audience that sways either politically left or right.
For CNN, by staying away from certain terms, it hopes to seem bipartisan, as if it has not been a dominating advocate in pushing the liberal agenda.
As controversy arises surrounding the Jan. 6 hearing, Chris Licht, the new president of CNN, has discouraged his staff from using the term “the big lie” when referring to former President Donald Trump’s claims about the 2020 election.
Licht says that using that wording could weaken the network’s objectivity by adopting language used by the Democratic Party. To make CNN seem less biased, Licht suggests using “Trump election lie” or “election lies” instead. Licht made it clear that it was a preference, not a mandate.
As Licht stepped into his role, he wanted to dial down on partisanship. However, it is empirically clear where CNN stands on the political aisle. Not only the organization but the audience they pull.
“About two-thirds of those with mostly liberal political values trust CNN (66%). … CNN is also distrusted by about six-in-ten consistent conservatives (61%),” Pew Research Center reports.
The majority of liberals trust CNN. The majority of conservatives distrust CNN. The facts speak for themselves. In the month of June alone, CNN mentioned “big lie” over 168 times.
Those that work at CNN aren’t too happy with the new president’s statement.
“It’s worrisome that we’re being told how to talk about one of the worst things that ever happened to American democracy,” a CNN insider told Mediaite. “We have to call lies, lies, whether they’re small lies or big lies. Is there any lie bigger than that lie?”
Since this is a preference and not something Licht is enforcing, there should be no reason to worry. These reporters can write about “the worst thing that ever happened to American democracy” and let the public decide who is pursuing the facts or personal biases.
“We are truth-tellers, focused on informing,” Licht concluded.
Though the goal should always be objectivity, CNN can’t escape its roots. Even if CNN reporters were to say “Trump election lie,” the majority of readers, being liberal, would still get the “big lie” message indirectly communicated, not just by the headline but through the article’s choice of words. CNN has had a long history of leaning left. Simply rewording a term to seem bipartisan won’t change that.
Esther Wickham is a summer 2022 Washington Examiner fellow.
