MEDIA LOSER: Jeff Zucker
Jeff Zucker, the longtime head of CNN and news industry titan, announced his resignation in a email to staff on Wednesday. “As part of the investigation into Chris Cuomo’s tenure at CNN, I was asked about a consensual relationship with my closest colleague, someone have worked with for more than 20 years,” Zucker wrote in an email to staff. “I acknowledged the relationship evolved in recent years. I was required to disclose it when it began but I didn’t. I was wrong. “As a result, I am resigning today,” he said. Chris Cuomo, the former CNN anchor who hosted the network’s 9 p.m. hour, was fired by the network late last year over his actions advising his brother, former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. While Zucker did not name the colleague with whom he had a relationship in his email, he is referring to Allison Gollust, the chief marketing officer and a senior vice president at CNN. Gollust acknowledged the relationship in a statement of her own that was reported by CNN. “Jeff and I have been close friends and professional partners for over 20 years,” she said. “Recently, our relationship changed during COVID. I regret that we didn’t disclose it at the right time. I’m incredibly proud of my time at CNN and look forward to continuing the great work we do everyday.” Read Zucker's full memo. CNN anchors and hosts have expressed their shock at the sudden news, but media observers have been quick to note that the relationship wasn't exactly a well-kept secret. Critics, meanwhile, have pointed out that Gollust's former position with the Cuomo family was already a point of contention and has been the subject of speculation for some time regarding CNN's handling of Chris Cuomo's many travails. There will be, for Zucker, what always happens when someone with stature and power in media is forced to resign or retire: praising and burying of Caesar. What he did wrong will be recalled, the nature of his legacy dissected. But the news of the day is that the top executive at CNN has had to resign over a relationship exposed in an investigation that was already a black eye for the network. As criteria for media loser goes, it's an apple, not a banana, and no doubt. |