20 February 2022: "This Is a Legal Mess for CNN"

Stelter addresses past communication between Gollust, Gov. Cuomo, potential lawsuits: 'A legal mess for CNN'

This report covers the comments of CNN's Brian Stelter, Chief Media Correspondent and presenter of the network's "Reliable Sources" news media criticism show, in which he describes the impact to the network of the actions of resigned-in-disgrace CEO Jeff Zucker, resigned-in-disgrace Chief Marketing Officer Alison Gollust, and fired former "Primetime" presenter, the journalism ethics-challenged Chris Cuomo, to put resigned-in-disgrace former New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo's political interests ahead of those of the news network.

Here's an excerpt from the report, which features the analysis of both Stelter and the former CBS News vice president (but not resigned-in-disgrace) Joe Peyronnin:

Host of "Reliable Sources" Brian Stelter said Sunday the situation involving the resignations of former CNN president Jeff Zucker and former CNN marketing chief Allison Gollust was "a legal mess for CNN."

"I was told by a source that Zucker can't comment further on the substance of why he left why he did and what happened," Stelter said. "Everybody is lawyer-ed up, Chris Cuomo might sue, Cuomo's lawyer apparently wants tens of millions of dollars out of this network, so this is now a legal mess for CNN."

Panelist Joe Peyronnin, a former vice president of CBS News, agreed with Stelter and argued that it could have been avoided.

"In terms of Allison and in terms of sharing questions and all that, we don't know everything that was shared. We don't know what was said, what Cuomo the governor said to her. To avoid that, why have her in the process, knowing that she was working with him," Peyronnin said.

He said that major news networks do have rules with regard to interviews. "They do not allow you to share questions, they do not allow you to take any questions from whoever the subject is," he said, noting that you can mention the subject area.

"You cannot provide questions. That is a rule because you don't want anything to damage potentially the quality of the interview," he said.

In other words, journalists and news network executives shouldn't be in the business of producing what are effectively political campaign ads that serve the political interests of the politicians whose official acts they cover. The more we learn about this situation, the more clear it becomes that CNN's choice to shred its journalistic reputation was an inside job, effected by members of Andrew M. Cuomo's influence network.