The new boss of cable news network CNN reportedly wants its reporters to stop using the phrase “the big lie” to refer to Donald Trump’s false claims about the 2020 election.
Recently installed CNN president Chris Licht asked newsroom leaders to stop using the phrase during a conference call, Mediaite reports, citing unnamed sources.
The new boss, who was named chairman in February, said this was a request not an order, and that it would help maintain the network’s neutrality, given that “the big lie” is a phrase largely used by Democratic politicians and media personalities.
Instead, Mediaite reports, Mr Licht said reporters should use the less loaded “Trump election lies” to describe the phenomenon.
“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 the publication. “We have to call lies, lies, whether they’re small lies or big lies. Is there any lie bigger than that lie?”
The Independent has reached out to CNN for comment.
It’s the latest change to come for the network, after its parent company WarnerMedia merged with Discovery Inc in April.
Mr Licht, a veteran TV producer who worked on MSNBC’s Morning Joe and the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, has also asked the network to tone down its use of the “breaking news” banner on new stories.
“Its impact has become lost on the audience,” he wrote in a memo to staff. “We are truth-tellers, focused on informing, not alarming our viewers....
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