Anderson Cooper Reportedly on CNN 'Chopping Block,' But Here's the Facts
Various rumors cropped up this week claiming that Anderson Cooper may be fired from CNN very soon and that the news network is generally in chaos. According to one report by The National Enquirer, the new network head Chris Licht is interested in making some serious changes to the network's lineup. However, fact-checkers dispute these reports, and it makes more sense than Cooper's job is safe.
An anonymous source close to CNN told The Enquirer that Licht put Cooper "on the chopping block," along with many of the other big on-screen talents at CNN. They said that Licht wants to focus less on opinion pieces and more on straightforward news reporters and that he believes Cooper's reputation is inextricably tied to a specific set of politics. They said: "Most people, especially Don Lemon, who is a drama queen, are very concerned."
"Anderson Cooper is a privileged white, middle-aged man who's not going to find work at super-woke MSNBC, either," they continued. "Being gay is no longer enough to make Anderson cool, they don't want to give a platform to the views of another white man who was brought up in wealth and privilege."
The biggest refutation of this report comes from Suggest.com, which questions the logic of both the source and the report itself. As the fact-check points out, it doesn't make much sense for CNN to start striving for "unbiased" reporting and start assembling a newsroom entirely based on race, gender and sexual orientation at the same time. This contradiction casts a shadow of doubt on the entire story.
Furthermore, The Enquirer has a history of reporting on trouble at CNN – and trouble for Cooper in particular. Several previous reports have failed to come true, so unless the outlet has obtained some new sources inside the network, it seems safe to say we can take its reporting there with a grain of salt.
What is true is that CNN's ratings are dropping right now. The news network saw its Nielsen ratings "tank" in the first week of July, according to a report by The New York Post. This was especially shocking because it came in the middle of the network's coverage of the House committee hearings on the Jan. 6, 2021 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.
Whatever strategy CNN settles on to reverse these fortunes, it seems safe to say it will include Cooper. The anchor remains one of CNN's most recognizable faces on the air.