CNN All Hands Meeting Tries To Calm Staffers

A Wednesday all-hands staff meeting at CNN led by network chairman and CEO Mark Thompson has been described as an effort to calm nerves.

The CNN Town Hall was held at CNN's headquarters in Hudson Yards, New York and is described as a quarterly gathering where Thompson briefed employees on the company's status, particularly amid its ongoing shift toward digital transformation and efforts to adapt in a challenging media landscape.

Thompson struck an optimistic tone about CNN's future, aiming to reassure staffers amid speculation about the network's direction, potential ownership changes (e.g., references to Paramount and Netflix in broader industry context, or hypothetical scenarios involving figures like David Ellison), and ongoing uncertainties under Warner Bros. Discovery.

Mark Thompson

During the meeting, employees had the opportunity to ask questions directly to leadership. One notable point of discussion involved pushback or questions about on-air contributor Scott Jennings and his rhetoric (likely related to his frequent pro-Trump commentary on CNN programs).

According to a Status report the session was framed as an effort to "calm nerves" internally, especially given broader industry pressures like cost-cutting, digital pivots, and the post-election environment in the second Trump administration era. 

No major new announcements like layoffs were highlighted from this specific meeting (though CNN has undergone significant staff reductions in prior years, including about 200 TV-focused roles eliminated in early 2025 to fund digital hires).

This comes shortly after other media companies (e.g., CBS News holding its own all-hands under Bari Weiss) have had similar internal town halls addressing organizational futures.