Ticker: Trump Says He’s Banning CNN and MS NOW From White House
Top of the Ticker: CNN and MS NOW are still reporting from the White House on Friday, despite President Donald Trump saying on social media that he will ban the two networks, as well as Politico, “effective immediately” from reporting within those grounds.
During a Q&A inside the Oval Office on Friday afternoon, the president, when asked why he was banning the three news outlets, said he had “no reason,” adding that it was due to cumulative stories “over the last two years.”
In a statement, CNN said that it stands fully behind its White House reporters and the network has a “right under the U.S. Constitution” to report without hindrance from the government.
“Should the ban which President Trump threatened go ahead, it would be an illegal assault on that fundamental and constitutionally-protected right,” the statement concluded.
Meanwhile, former WHCA president Weijia Jiang posted a portion of the First Amendment, which states that freedom of speech or the freedom of the press can’t be curtailed by the government.
New crew: ABC News’ flagship morning program, Good Morning America, debuted new co-anchor teams for its Saturday and Sunday editions over the weekend.
The network’s senior political correspondent, Rachel Scott, joined Whit Johnson to co-anchor the broadcast on Saturdays. Scott will continue to host the streaming news program, What You Need to Know, on Disney+. Meanwhile, correspondent Rhiannon Ally has been paired with Gio Benitez to co-anchor the Sunday editions.
Also part of the weekend crew is Leslie Lopez, who was named GMA’s weekend meteorologist. She replaces Somara Theodore, who is moving to full-time on the weekday shift on ABC News Live. Lopez was previously a meteorologist for the ABC Los Angeles affiliate KABC.
In addition to their new GMA assignments, Johnson, Scott, Benitez, and Ally will, on a rotating basis, anchor ABC News Live Weekend at 10 a.m. ET on ABC News’ 24/7.
Sudden departure: NBC News is losing one of its veteran executives after Janelle Rodriguez announced she will leave the news outlet after 12 years. Rodriguez, who was the evp of NBC News programming, said in a note to staffers that it was “the right moment” for her to leave and move on to the next chapter in her life.
Following Rodriguez’s departure, NBC News president of editorial Rebecca Blumenstein revealed the new leadership structure, with Catherine Kim becoming executive vice president, editorial and content. This includes oversight of NBC News Now and specials. Matt Carluccio will expand his responsibilities to oversee the network’s editorial units, including business, health, investigations, and climate. Finally, Matt Frucci, executive producer of NBC Nightly News, reports directly to Blumenstein.
Bureau closure: CNBC announced that it has wound down operations at its Hong Kong bureau. As a result of this shutdown, business-day programs such as Inside India, The China Connection, and Europe Early Edition have been canceled, while feature series including CNBC Meets and Built for Billions will wrap up once current broadcast runs conclude.
The network says “a small number of employees” have been affected by this closure and that it reached these “difficult decisions” after evaluating its international programming, commercial viability, and resource deployment over several months. CNBC is shifting resources in the region to its Singapore and Beijing offices, with the two bureaus, alongside its London and Abu Dhabi bureaus, remaining key operational hubs providing studio, editorial, and technical facilities.
New season: Sunday saw the return of CBS News’ Sunday newsmagazine 60 Minutes, now under the guidance of Bari Weiss and Nick Bilton, sticking to its tried-and-true formula. In a note to staffers, shared with CNN’s Brian Stelter, Weiss, Bilton, and CBS News president Tom Cibrowski called the first episode “a powerful start with three original, revelatory stories that showcase 60 at its best.” Prior to the debut of the new season, Bilton announced that Jordan Kronick and Wally Griffith are joining the show as producers. Kronick was previously with HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, and Griffith joins from CNBC, as part of its long-form and documentary unit.
Meanwhile, Guy Campanile, the former 60 Minutes managing editor, was the latest former employee to talk about alleged editorial interference during the production process. In a private Facebook post, obtained by The Guardian, Campanile said that as part of doing their jobs, they would not compromise their “principles or reputations by jamming unverifiable notions or White House talking points into our reporting.”
He said he and his former colleagues lost their jobs because they “refused to be accomplices in the destruction of the most prestigious news program on American television” under Weiss’ watch.
Membership dues: MS NOW debuted its direct-to-consumer offering, MS NOW Membership, on Wednesday, Sept. 9 with a new seven-day interactive lineup of live Q&As with the network’s reporters. The twice-a-day Q&As, available on ms.now and the MS NOW app, will have members participate in live discussions and, in some cases, speak directly with MS NOW hosts over live video.
Debate season: CNN announced that it will host the California Governor Debate moderated by anchors Jake Tapper and Dana Bash on Wednesday, September 30, at 9 p.m. ET. The one-hour debate, which will air live from CNN’s Los Angeles studios, will feature Xavier Becerra and Steve Hilton and air on CNN, CNN International, CNN en Español, and stream for subscribers.
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