CNN boss apologises to staff after brutal magazine profile

CNN’s underfire boss Chris Licht has apologised to the cable news network’s staff in a Monday morning call, according to reports.

The organization’s CEO has faced criticism from staff in the wake of the controversial Donald Trump town hall and a searing 15,000-word profile in The Atlantic.

Staff at the company have complained that the disastrous profile, released on Friday, showed poor judgement with CNN already suffering falling ratings.

Licht told staff on the 9am call that he did not recognise himself in the Inside the Meltdown at CNN profile, for which he gave reporter Tim Alberta months of unfettered access, reported CNBC.

The executive admitted during the call that he understands the frustrations of his staff and told them he will earn back their trust, people on the call told CNBC.

Licht did not explain exactly why he had agreed to the profile, which saw Alberta interview him during gym sessions and being given access to CNN programming rehearsals.

“I know these past few days have been very hard for this group. 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 organisation and for that, I am sorry,” Licht said, according to former CNN media reporter Brian Stelter on Twitter.

“As I read that article, I found myself thinking, CNN is not about me. I should not be in the news unless it’s taking arrows for you. Your work is what should be written about,” he continued.

And he added: “To those whose trust I’ve lost, I will fight like hell to win it back, because you deserve a leader who will be in the trenches, fighting to ensure CNN remains the world’s most trusted name in news.”

Licht didn’t specifically address why he participated in The Atlantic profile, which focused on issues including the launch of the network’s This Morning show featuring Don Lemon, Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins; on moves to include more Republican voices and a perceived rightwards shift; and on the widely criticised Trump town hall.

Licht, 51, who previously worked on MSNBC’s Morning Joe and on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, was appointed chairman and CEO of CNN in May last year following the exit of Jeff Zucker.

The Independent has reached out to CNN for comment.