Jeff Zucker Says CNN Is Held To Higher Standard

Jeff Zucker

Barry Diller is trying to create a TV experience for the future, through IAC’s backing of streaming Internet service Aereo. Jeff Zucker, CNN’s new president, is trying to reinvent a cable network whose best days have been in the past.

In a wide-ranging conversation at the Wall Street Journal's D: All Things Digital Confab guided by Walt Mossberg, Diller contended that Aereo is not trying to kill the business of broadcast networks, but rather spur a movement to a more open distribution of programming. Diller also reiterated that buying Newsweek was a mistake, and that it belongs in the hands of a company that focuses exclusively on publishing.

Zucker, for his part, answered tough questions about reporting inaccuracies and a focus on what some in the news business consider to be fluffy news events as CNN looks to boost ratings. (Zucker’s comments start at 10:00 minutes into the video.)