CNN Plans Election Night Panel That’s Pretty Small, Actually
“The Most Trusted Name In News” is scaling back its traditionally jam-packed election night studio panel, CNN President Jeff Zucker announced Thursday in an internal memo acquired by the Boast.
A handful of factors led to the decision, although the requirement of six feet of separation between participants due to coronavirus precautions was not cited, presumably due to the studio’s ample size in order to accommodate former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
Instead, Zucker highlighted camera operators’ requests for smaller lenses to adequately show the chances of a Trump victory during John King’s minute-by-minute vote tabulations on the “Magic Wall.” Also mentioned was the possibility that the network’s Washington, D.C. headquarters could become a prime target for an armed attack by the Proud Boys, assuming they don’t get distracted on their way there by any phallic objects in the street.
Another justification was that with fewer seats to fill, the programming would come across as more of a solemn than rowdy occasion. Zucker claimed this would be required in order to bid a heartfelt farewell to President Trump, to whom the network gave an immense amount of coverage, in effect legitimizing his campaign and propelling him toward the Oval Office, and because of whom several employees of and contributors to the network secured lucrative book deals.
Yet Zucker was adamant that the relative lack of commentators would not be indicative of executives adopting a more discriminatory approach in deciding to whom airtime should be given in the future.
“We celebrate the good-faith contributions to the public discourse from individuals like Kellyanne Conway, Sean Spicer, Mark Meadows, Jeffrey Lord and Stephen Miller,” Zucker wrote. “We will continue to adhere to the mantra that in the marketplace of ideas, the good ones will rise above the bad, even if those who articulate them can’t get a word in edgewise.”
The memo outlined a few other programming changes. Beginning October 30, for instance, the “Countdown to Election Night” clock above the chyron would not only display the remaining time in hundredths of a second, but it would also be available as a livestream on YouTube, with CNN digital associates on standby in the chat ready to field questions about ADHD and proper time management practices. Another directive required King, Wolf Blitzer, David Gergen and Gloria Berger to hold hands, close their eyes and say “Rekcut Noslrac” — Tucker Carlson’s name backwards — seven times during each commercial break.
When asked to comment, Carlson wrote in an e-mail to the Boast that that just happens to be his username on all the far-right message boards.
