CNN is undergoing a significant change with the news of Jim Acosta’s impending departure from the network after his demotion to the late-night time slot. Acosta, a well-known left-leaning personality who previously hosted a show in the morning, has always positioned himself as a vocal critic of the current administration, showcasing strong liberal bias in his reporting.
Ever the self-absorbed flack, Acosta was apparently unwilling to suffer the humiliation of moving to one of the least-watched time slots.
Recent reports revealed that CNN executives made the decision to remove Acosta from his 10 am slot, a time when his show had garnered substantial viewership and ratings. Instead, he was offered a less favorable time slot, from midnight to 2 am ET, marking a significant shift in his role at the network.
Throughout his tenure at CNN, Acosta has been a frequent subject of criticism, especially during his time as the White House correspondent in the early years of the Trump administration. His confrontational style and attention-grabbing antics, such as disputing with a female staffer over a microphone, have exemplified the perceived flaws of mainstream media journalism, a trend that persisted even after his transition to a studio-based role.
So if this plays out as the reporting suggests, what’s next for Acosta? History would suggest not much. When John Harwood left CNN, he fell into relative obscurity, relegated to ratio bait for conservatives on social media. Oliver Darcy, who is behind this report about Acosta’s exit, now writes for some newsletter called “Status” that no one has ever heard of.
In other words, many of these left-wing “journalists” have a much higher view of themselves than is supported by reality. Acosta’s arrogance in not accepting his demotion could very well end his career for all intents and purposes. No other major news outlet is going to be beating his door down to host a show or lead an editorial board. As television “talent” goes, Acosta is nothing special, and that’s putting it lightly.
As for what this means for CNN, I’m not sure it means much. Acosta is low-hanging fruit. Until the network is willing to rock the boat with its primetime anchors, the financial pain will continue, and given they rehired Brian Stelter last year, I’m not sure they have any desire to do so.
