Feminists have been laying into CNN over a glossy feature detailing the network’s plan for the “future of media” that didn’t feature any female staffers.
Activists were riled up by the image of CEO Jeff Zucker and four of its top presenters posing for a cover feature for The Hollywood Reporter.
In the article, Zucker boasts about the network’s ratings, its dominance online, the amount of cash it is funnelling into future projects, and all the hot new talent it’s hiring.
However, although the 3,000-word piece, called CNN’s New War, was exhaustive in its describing the legacy network and its offshoots it found no cause to mention any female staffers.
The outrage kicked off after a CNN producer, Josiah Ryan, tweeted the magazine cover with the observation “the future of media looks like this”.
The future of media looks like this.
Proud to be part of this team. @CaseyNeistat @Bourdain @jaketapper @wkamaubell and @CNN chief Zucker pic.twitter.com/B7enhLXqYd
— Josiah Daniel Ryan (@JosiahRyan) March 1, 2017
The cover shows anchor Jake Tapper (back left), comedian/pundit W Kamau Bell (back right), YouTuber Casey Nesitat (bottom left), present Anthony Bourdain (bottom right), and Zucker himself (centre).
@JosiahRyan @CaseyNeistat @Bourdain @jaketapper @wkamaubell @CNN @PussyhatProject actually the future of media SHOULD look like this! #women pic.twitter.com/3hKaCMaLdX
— Joanna Cattanach (@JoannaCattanach) March 1, 2017
@JosiahRyan @CaseyNeistat @Bourdain @jaketapper @wkamaubell @CNN
The future of media is 100% straight men and 4/5 white? Nope.Nopeity Nope.— Celeste Headlee (@CelesteHeadlee) March 1, 2017
@JosiahRyan @CaseyNeistat @Bourdain @jaketapper @wkamaubell @CNN Do you have women colleagues? Not part of the future as you see it?
— Clare O'Connor (@Clare_OC) March 1, 2017
Campaigners were especially affronted because the piece was published on the first day of Women’s History Month, which apparently makes it worse.
Ironically, the only women who *did* feature in the piece were only their because of their links to feminist hate symbol President Trump.
The profile lingered over CNN interviews with White House counsel Kellyanne Conway, education secretary Betsy DeVos and almost-White House staffer Monica Crowley.
The only other woman mentioned was April Ryan, a White House reporter for Urban Radio Networks, who featured because of an exchange she had with the President.
Trump came under extreme fire for terming the media the “enemy of the people” – however, when it comes to CNN, it looks like some feminists agree.