New CEO: CNN Needs to Step-Up It's Digital Game

CNN Chief Executive Mark Thompson told staff that the network needs to step up its digital game, saying conventional TV “can no longer define us,” and said its journalists shouldn’t be distracted by debates about balance or false equivalency, reports The Wall Street Journal.

Speaking to employees in a video message on Monday, his first official day at CNN, Thompson said he would draw on his earlier experience as CEO of the New York Times to modernize the network.

Mark Thompson

“For most people under retirement age, the first place they turn for news is their phones, not their TVs. And news players who can’t or won’t respond to that revolution risk losing their audience and their business,” Thompson said.

He said CNN needs to act swiftly, and that despite some progress, such as the recent launch of CNN Max—a collection of programming from the network on the Max streaming service—“this company is still nowhere near ready for the future.”

“TV is vital and there’s urgent work to do there, especially as we rebuild prime time. But TV is also too dominant at CNN and digital too marginal,” Thompson said.

Addressing the network’s mission and purpose, Thompson urged CNN to define the news, not just react to it. “And let’s not second guess ourselves or get distracted by complicated arguments about balance or whataboutism or false equivalency. Let’s cover political news proportionately and fairly, but not be frightened of our own shadows.”

Thompson spent eight years as CEO of the Times, stepping down in 2020 after supersizing its digital-subscription business and expanding into areas such as cooking and games.