
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I have been paying special attention to CNN since the new owners said they want to change the culture and restore traditional journalism. ; I have even gratuitously offered some suggestions on changes that would prove their sincerity. ; Many of my “recommendations” have been instituted.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">My initial suggestion was that, if they wanted to be taken seriously about the announced change in direction, they would have to dump CNN’s politically biased so-called media critic Brian Stelter. ; Well, lo and behold, he was the first to go.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I also suggested that they should replace their “New Day” morning team of John Berman and Brianna Keilar. ; Puff! ; They are on their way out. ; I did not call for the booting of Don Lemon but questioned the utility of his nighttime show. ; His ratings against FOX’s Laura Ingraham were godawful. Lemon is now scheduled to be one half of the morning anchor team. ; If the bosses at CNN take my recommendation, they will pair Lemon off with a more conservative counterpoint.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I had suggested that they give Chris Wallace a spot in the daytime lineup. ; He was serving as an occasional panelist after CNN+ &#8212; the network’s new streaming programming was stillborn. ; Wallace was paid big bucks to be the majordomo for CNN+. ; It has now been reported that Wallace will have his own interview show – more or less replicating his old FOX News program.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I know a lot of hardline conservatives did not like Wallace – but he is far more balanced than the folks he will be replacing. ; In an appearance on the morning show, he articulated that there are two sides to the issue of bussing and flying migrants to Democrat cities. ; Whatever one thinks of him, he is an improvement over the old CNN cast.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I was taken by surprise – but pleased &#8212; by the ousting of CNN White House reporter John Harwood. ; I always have found him to be stridently biased in his reports. ; Dumping him was a good move. ; Another one gone is political analyst Jeffrey Toobin – whose analyses spun to the left.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I am not expecting a scorched earth policy at CNN. ; It will continue to be a slightly left-of-center outfit. ; A number of the remaining hosts appear to be shifting from dogmatic left-wing reporting to something approaching balance. ; I have counted more conservative panelists and interviewees. ; It may not be a sea-change, but it is significant.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">But if the network is truly going to be more professional and more balanced, there is still work to be done.  ; In my “must go” category is the smarmy and arrogant John Avlon. ; If they keep the currently misnamed “Reality Check” feature, it will need to be more than a political attack on Republicans and conservatives.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Also, on my exit list is the hyper-arrogant, biased and obnoxious James Acosta. ; (I bet you can tell that I do not like him very much.) ; He is not only a biased reporter, but also a left-wing combatant. ; His personal contempt for Republicans is palpable.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Some of the most important changes at CNN will not be as obvious because they are folks that do not appear on the screen – but have a greater influence over content and guests than do the anchors. ; I am referring to the producers, writers, and investigators behind the camera. ; They pick the subjects, write the scripts that are read off the teleprompters and they select the guests. ; They drive the political culture.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Some will get the axe – and some have. ; Others will jump ship before they are thrown overboard. ; And others – the most philosophically biased will quit in protest. ; Some of those will be reported in the public domain – especially if they make a fuss on the way out. ; But most will go quietly. ; We will only know of their departure by the content we see on the screen.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">I would say that the new owners are more serious about a change than I first imagined. ; We will have to wait and see how far they go – and how it affects CNN’s plummeting ratings. ; Stay tuned.</p>



<p class="wp-block-paragraph">So, there ‘tis.</p>

CNN keeps moving toward the center
