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A host on left-leaning mainstream media network CNN recently gave President Trump much-deserved credit for being "on a roll." This followed a week of major achievements by the President, including the recent peace agreement in Africa. CNN weekend host Michael Smerconish called the week "consequential."
So does that mean the network will finally begin to moderate? Especially considering the major loss in viewership, revenue, and credibility that they've suffered? Probably not.
According to Professor Jeff McCall, who teaches Media Studies at DePauw University, you can expect them to continue being progressive, no matter how much it costs them. He said, "They tried a couple of times to bring in new directors at CNN, and they always seem to get shoved out by the rank and file, who are activist driven."
He thinks that now, just like always, they'll remain committed to their activist agenda, even though it's negatively impacting the network. He said, "It's not working out for them financially, and it's not working out for them professionally, but that hasn't seemed to deter them in recent years. At what point does something change there?"
McCall noted that other mainstream outlets have shown a willingness to moderate their stance. He cited examples like the Washington Post, owned by Jeff Bezos, which faced criticism from the left after announcing more centrist editorial policies shortly after President Trump's victory.
As for CNN, however, McCall says that at least for now, it's still being run by the activists, and the network's higher-upswill need to step in if they ever want to make money again.