CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy gave voice to a chorus of insiders furious at boss Chris Licht, saying he “has lost the room” despite his apology in the wake of a scathing article about the network’s meltdown.
Darcy wrote in Monday’s edition of his “Reliable Sources” newsletter that last week’s damaging exposé in The Atlantic “called into serious question Licht’s judgment [and] his ability to lead the network’s staff.”
He added that Licht has “alienated much of the employee base and squandered the good will he had when he took helm of the network,” noting that Licht’s efforts to “reset relations more than a year into his tenure” may be too little too late.
It was the second time in less than a month that Darcy has questioned Licht’s leadership.
The veteran reporter was called on the carpet by Licht following the network’s chaotic Trump town hall on May 10 for his newsletter headlined “CNN and new network boss Chris Licht are facing a fury of criticism — both internally and externally over the event.”
Licht apologized on Monday to staff with remarks that Darcy described as “somber” yet “humble.”
“Staffers could hear the raw emotion in his voice as he spoke,” Darcy said.
However, “the comments did little to move the needle.”
“Licht, notably, did not apologize for having disparaged CNN’s previous journalism, an omission in his remarks that did not go unnoticed by staffers,” Darcy added.
The senior reporter noted that workers remain “frustrated” and “angry.”
“Many are sad about the awful state of affairs that has taken hold of an organization they love,” he added.
Darcy wasn’t shy in bringing the newsroom’s ill feelings of their employer to light, even citing an anchor’s comment that they wished Licht would relocate his office “out of the building.”
“In the eyes of so many at CNN, there isn’t anything Licht can do at this point to win over their support. They’ve hit the wall with him,” Darcy wrote.
The Post reached out to CNN for comment.
The last time Darcy fired a broadside at Licht, he was reportedly scolded by the network boss for his “emotional” coverage, leaving the journalist “visibly shaken.”
Colleagues reportedly wondered if Darcy would quit or be fired in the wake of his candid comments.
CNN, however, denied that Darcy would be leaving his position as one of the network’s top voices.
Now it’s Licht’s that may be numbered.
The decision by CNN’s corporate overload to install a chief operating officer could spell “the beginning of the end” for the 51-year-old network chief, The Atlantic had reported..
Sources told the magazine that naming David Leavy — a longtime loyalist of Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav — as CNN’s COO has “fueled talk of an imminent power struggle.”
This story originally appeared on NYPost
