CNN president Jeff Zucker was interviewed by David Remnick on The New Yorker Radio Hour this past weekend. The 20-minute interview focused on his longtime working relationship with Pres. Trump through The Apprentice and NBC, as well as his feelings about the cable news competition. He was candid.
“Obviously Fox News is, uh,” Zucker began, before pausing for a solid 10 seconds.“So, look, there’s three cable news networks. Certainly in prime time and in the morning Fox is state-run TV and is extolling the line out of the White House.”
TVNewser reached out to Fox News for comment. We will update when we hear back.
Zucker went on to say that MSNBC “has become the opposition, and I think CNN is seeking the truth.”
“Do you think the other two networks are not broadcasting the truth?” Remnick, editor of The New Yorker, asked.
“Look, I think that there are clear agendas at work at the other cable news networks depending on their political points of view,” Zucker said.
CNN and other mainstream media outlets have been branded by Pres. Trump as “fake news” — a term Zucker would like to see put out to pasture.
“I think it’s an unfortunate phrase,” he said. “I think we should all try to avoid it. I think it’s also dangerous and unfortunate that the president of the United States and the people around him would try and denigrate an institution like the media, which is one the bedrocks of this country.”
Zucker said “there is an issue with news that is not real, created either to advance a political agenda, change people’s narratives.” But what Trump means by “fake news,” Zucker said, “is news he doesn’t like — and there is a difference between news that is not real and news that he doesn’t like.”
He continued: “Look, there are folks on both sides of the aisle that are pushing out propaganda, but I think what we’re trying to do is to tell the objective truth. That’s our goal.”