Respected broadcast journalists are heading out the door.
The latest to leave is long-time CNN reporter, Jim Acosta. He quit the network after being relegated to the midnight shift.
“Just wanted to end today's show by thanking all of the wonderful people who work behind the scenes at this network. You may have seen some reports about me and the show, and after giving all of this some careful consideration and weighing the alternative time slots, CNN, offer me, I've decided to move on. I am grateful to CNN for the nearly 18 years I've spent here doing the news.”
Acosta announced his departure at the end of his one-hour morning show on the network. He later announced he would be moving his news and commentary to Substack. In one of his first posts Acosta talked about his run-ins with the president over the years, which included Trump’s attempts to get him banned from covering the White House.
“People often ask me if the highlight of my career at CNN was at the White House covering Donald Trump. Actually, no. That moment came when I covered former President Barack Obama's trip to Cuba in 2016 and had the chance to question the dictator Raul Castro about the island's political prisoners. As the son of a Cuban refugee I took home this lesson. It is never a good time to bow down to a tyrant.”
I’m seeing more former journalists, including myself, finding their way to Substack. The big names can get some subscriptions and make a living. They can also reap the benefits of being an independent journalist.
Brett Meiselas of Meidas Touch is an independent journalist on Substack who talks about the both sides mentality coming from corporate media.
“And I think people are looking for a space right now, spaces right now of media who are going to tell it how it is, for lack of a better word, who aren't going to try to normalize fascism, who aren't going to try to normalize all this craziness, but are going to acknowledge that this is not a normal situation. If you're trying to do both sides, something where you have the truth and you have a lie and you say, well, the, the, the real truth is probably somewhere in the middle, you're then delivering at least half a lie to your audience.”
Meiselas believes the normalization of Donald Trump was a strategy of corporate media in the last election to get Trump back in the White House.
“I think they thought that getting Trump in power was going to help their ratings. I think they thought this was a 2016 redux and, oh, we're gonna get Trump back and it's gonna, it's gonna be all this craziness. People are going to watch cable news all day, and we're currently seeing at least the opposite. We are currently seeing that people are actually fleeing these cable networks in record numbers because I think people acknowledge the damage that they have done“
And Brett Meiselas says he’s enjoying being an independent journalist and that despite the death threats he will continue what he is doing for as long as he can.
“You don't have to play the debate. You don't have to lie about anything, right? You don't have to present a fake argument. You're just telling the truth and talking about what's going on, and you are not taking crap from anybody.”
For former CNN anchor Jim Acosta, leaving the network has allowed him to speak the truth. For his former audience, he delivered this message during his swan song.
“One final message. Don't give into the lies. Don't give into the fear. Hold onto the truth, and to hope, even if you have to get out your phone, record that message. I will not give into the lies. I will not give into the fear. Post it on your social media so people can hear from you too.”
After spending over 50 years broadcasting radio news, the opportunity to serve as an independent journalist in these times is a great ne and is badly needed.
Thanks for listening to or reading this podcast on Substack.
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