'Staffers Are Frustrated': CNN's Oliver Darcy Slams Boss Chris Licht Over 'Blistering' and 'Embarrassing' Atlantic Profile
June 6 2023, Published 4:00 p.m. ET
CNN’s Oliver Darcy slammed Chris Licht over the Atlantic’s “blistering” and “embarrassing” profile on the network boss, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Darcy, who serves as a senior media reporter at CNN and took over the network’s Reliable Sources newsletter upon Brian Stelter’s sudden exit last year, used Monday’s newsletter to question Licht’s “judgement” and “ability to lead” in the wake of the Atlantic’s 15,000-word profile published on Friday.
According to Darcy, the deep dive profile into the CNN CEO “called into serious question Licht’s judgment, his ability to lead the network’s staff, and his overall professional capabilities as CNN’s top executive.”
Darcy also noted that Licht “alienated much of the employee base and squandered the goodwill he had when he took the helm of the network,” and that it is currently “far from certain” whether Licht will be able to successfully “win over his army of journalists.”
“There are a wide range of emotions coursing through the halls of CNN,” Darcy wrote on Monday. “Some staffers are frustrated. Others are angry.”
“Many are sad about the awful state of affairs that has taken hold of an organization they love,” he added. “Licht has lost the room.”
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Licht held an editorial meeting on Monday morning to apologize for the Atlantic profile.
But while Licht’s apology reportedly “struck the right tone” among the struggling network’s disillusioned staffers, Darcy noted that employees viewed the apology as “too little, too late.”
“In the eyes of so many at CNN, there isn’t anything Licht can do at this point to win over their support,” Darcy explained. “They’ve hit the wall with him.”
“As one anchor texted me, in reference to Licht’s announcement on Monday that he will relocate his office to a newsroom floor at Hudson Yards: ‘We don’t want his office relocated to the 18th floor, we want it relocated out of the building.’”
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Meanwhile, other network sources have dubbed Licht a “dead man walking” while CNN stars such as Jake Tapper, Wolf Blitzer, and Erin Burnett have reportedly “lost confidence in the boss” following the 15,000-word profile.
“I fully recognize that this news cycle and my role in it overshadowed the incredible week of reporting that we just had and distracted from the work of every single journalist in this organization,” Licht reportedly said during his Monday morning apology.
“And for that, I am sorry,” Licht added, apparently indicating that he has no plans to leave his role at the network despite the current frustrations amongst his staffers.
