It is no secret that conventional information platforms and “mainstream media” retailers like CNN are dying, both on account of growing old demographics, the prominence of social media and streaming platforms, more and more conservative audiences, and even shady anchors you’d by no means wish to meet in actual life. In 2020, CNN averaged 1.8 million viewers in primetime; by the top of 2024, CNN’s primetime lineup was averaging lower than 400,000 viewers, as The Washington Publish notes. Issues are trying grim over at CNN.

Granted, viewership has declined throughout virtually all cable networks, nevertheless it’s actually outstanding how a lot CNN’s viewers has plummeted, particularly for the reason that November 2024 election of President Donald Trump. Maybe that is why CNN CEO Mark Thompson, in a January 2025 editorial assembly, directed the community’s prime anchors to tone down their anti-Trump rhetoric and “keep away from pre-judging” the brand new president, per Standing.

As if this obvious self-censorship is not shady sufficient, CNN’s company nature and its allegedly biased protection of Israel and Palestine point out a rightward shift in 2025. Moreover, many CNN anchors have their very own particular person histories of contentious, controversial, or simply downright doubtful conduct. In fact, these are merely a number of explanation why public belief within the media is at a five-decade low, with 33% of individuals polled by Gallup in February 2025 not trusting the media “very a lot” and an extra 36% not trusting the media “in any respect.” Suffice it to say, Jake Tapper is not any Walter Cronkite, and neither are his fellow anchors on CNN.

Earlier than being a senior political commentator on CNN and internet hosting “The Axe Information,” David Axelrod was a fixture of Chicago politics and recognized for preventing soiled. For example, he dug up sealed divorce information to launch salacious smear campaigns in opposition to Barack Obama’s opponents, Blair Hull and Jack Ryan, within the 2004 Senate race. As Obama biographer David Mendell informed The Guardian, “[Axelrod] might be cut-throat. He believes while you get in a race, you beat the opposite aspect by nearly any means obligatory.” He is grow to be so cut-throat that even Joe Biden’s administration has attacked him following Axelrod’s (finally prophetic) suggestion in 2023 that Biden should not run for a second time period.

Axelrod’s consulting agency, AKPD Message and Media, has mirrored the CNN anchor by means of its personal shady dealings. This consists of one in all Invoice de Blasio’s scandals because the mayor of New York Metropolis, which concerned changing his election marketing campaign right into a fundraising group, the place cash was allegedly funneled to AKPD and different teams. New York’s Division of Investigation dominated that he had violated metropolis ethics, although there have been no costs.

AKPD Message and Media additionally obtained in scorching water for intervening in Nigeria’s 2015 election as a paid marketing consultant for the challenger, former navy dictator Muhammadu Buhari. AKPD was caught in an obvious lie after Buzzfeed leaked emails in February 2015, which detailed the agency’s lively position throughout months that they had beforehand denied working with Buhari’s marketing campaign.

One of many shadier features of CNN issues its protection of Israel and the state of affairs in Gaza, which some United Nations specialists have referred to as genocide. A February 2024 report from The Guardian cites disgruntled CNN staffers who claimed, “Finally, CNN’s protection of the Israel-Gaza conflict quantities to journalistic malpractice.” Anchor Dana Bash has virtually grow to be the de facto face of CNN’s shady reporting on Israel and Palestine and has been criticized because of this.

Bash has been unapologetic about reporting, which demonized pro-Palestinian scholar protesters (even evaluating them to the rise of Hitler’s Germany) whereas welcoming voices of the Israeli authorities. As such, occasions she’s attended have been disrupted by protesters calling her “Bloody Bash.” One protester said (by way of The Wrap), “I got here right here to ask her why she’s telling lies on public air each single day.” A member of the activist group Code Pink additionally went viral after confronting Bash at one other occasion, accusing her of “being a mouthpiece for the genocide in Gaza.”

Bash (together with fellow anchor Jake Tapper, a pair whom Mondoweiss calls “CNN’s Dishonest Duo”) did must apologize for one factor — kind of. Bash replayed a section from Tapper by which he misrepresented feedback from Consultant Rashida Tlaib, claiming Tlaib had made an alleged antisemitic comment that she by no means made. Bash used this to tell a section on antisemitism, later admitting that Tlaib didn’t say what Tapper had claimed, however supplied no apology.

Talking of Jake Tapper — he, like Dana Bash, was criticized for his protection of scholar protests and his false accusations in opposition to Consultant Rashida Tlaib (subsequently asserting that he had “misspoke”). That is solely the tip of the iceberg relating to accusations of Tapper’s shadiness. The CNN anchor has been accused of hypocrisy for beforehand dismissing alarms over Joe Biden’s age earlier than publishing a guide (with co-writer Alex Thompson) which detailed Biden’s psychological decline. Tapper’s guide, “Unique Sin,” meticulously chronicles what he calls “President Biden’s decline, its cover-up, and his disastrous option to run once more.” Nonetheless, many have pointed to Tapper’s “rewriting of historical past,” contemplating he has beforehand defended Biden’s age. “I believe you might have completely no standing to diagnose any person’s cognitive decline,” mentioned Tapper to Lara Trump in a section on his sequence, “The Lead with Jake Tapper” (by way of the New York Publish). The CNN anchor was additionally chastised for utilizing his information platform to endlessly promote his guide, one thing “The Day by day Present” mocked with a compilation of clips.

Tapper has additionally been accused of racism in a wide range of methods over time, particularly for his embarrassing 2003 article for Salon, “Gangbanging in Media Land.” In a cringeworthy faux-hip-hop fashion meant to mock Black colloquialisms, Tapper wrote a bit full of strains like, “They’re playa-hatas. It is infra dig, beneath us, yo,” and “Bust an Op-Ed in its ass, yo.” In one other article for Salon, Tapper additionally referred to as the reverends Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson “race-baiting hucksters.”

CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins grew to become a preferred fixture on the community with stunning rapidity after becoming a member of on the age of 25. Memorable for her frequent spats with President Donald Trump and press secretary Karoline Leavitt, Collins drew the ire of many Republicans, with the White Home even barring her from an occasion at one level. This has led some to criticize a perceived left-wing bias. In truth, although, Collins’ profession in journalism started with the right-wing outlet The Day by day Caller, co-founded by Tucker Carlson.

Whereas at The Day by day Caller, Collins wrote some shady clickbait articles, akin to “The Web Wonders: Are the Obama Ladies Skirts Too Brief” and “This Photograph Of Charlize Theron With out Pants On Is The Best Factor On The Web Proper Now.” She additionally wrote articles that sarcastically mocked girls’s appearances (like “Barbara Mikulski’s Hottest Moments”) or objectified them in disturbing methods (as in “13 Syrian Refugees We would Take Instantly”). Considered one of her most reviled articles is “Ice Bucket Problem Hipsters: These Guantanamo Detainees Did It First,” by which Collins in contrast the viral problem to the waterboarding and torture of detainees at Guantanamo Bay. Maybe Collins was ashamed of this, as her byline was briefly faraway from a number of archived articles in 2021.

In fact, we will not ignore Collins’ shady use of X (previously Twitter). She was criticized for outdated tweets by which she used a homophobic slur and likewise wrote, “idk [sic] if I wish to room with a lesbian.”

Erin Burnett has been criticized for the reason that very first episode of her CNN present, “OutFront,” by which she chastised the Occupy Wall Avenue motion. Following the October 3, 2011, section (and its rebroadcast the following day), Burnett was lampooned for conflicts of curiosity and deceptive reporting, most notably by FAIR (Equity & Accuracy in Reporting), which disputed Burnett’s characterization of Occupy Wall Avenue and 2008’s huge financial institution bailouts. FAIR famous that Burnett had labored on Wall Avenue with the funding financial institution Goldman Sachs, whereas her soon-to-be husband had labored with Lehman Brothers earlier than becoming a member of Citigroup.

Burnett’s inauspicious CNN debut drew extra private assaults, with The Baltimore Solar writing, “She comes throughout as self-satisfied, smug, privileged … It appears as if she would not get journalism, and he or she positive would not get America.” She has an extended historical past of defending huge banks and firms, from her time incomes Rush Limbaugh’s reward for supporting large CEO bonuses and pushing company agendas at CNBC, to her assaults on Senator Bernie Sanders and Medicare for All.

Along with allegedly deceptive reporting, Burnett has additionally drawn criticism for on-air gaffes. She as soon as needed to apologize for saying the F-word whereas studying a purported Trump quote and wept on-air one other time. She was additionally attacked for her reporting on the July 28, 2025, mass taking pictures in New York Metropolis, by which she erroneously said the shooter was “presumably white” (per The Day by day Mail).

CNN anchor Fredricka Whitfield grew to become embroiled in controversy when masking the 2015 story of a gunman who opened fireplace from an armored van into Dallas’ Police Headquarters. Whitfield tactlessly referred to as the shooter, who was killed by a police sniper, “very brave and courageous.” In her preliminary 13-second apology, Whitfield merely mentioned, “I misspoke and on no account imagine the gunman was brave nor courageous.”

Whitfield’s apology was promptly criticized, with the Dallas Police Affiliation’s Vice President Frederick Frazier stating, “Whereas her feedback had been appalling and offensive to the women and men in police departments throughout our nation, her flippant non-apology served as additional insult.” Whitfield apologized for a second time, ensuring to take action emphatically, saying, “I sincerely apologize for making this assertion, and I perceive now how offensive it was, and I wish to reiterate that on no account do I imagine the gunman was brave or courageous. I sincerely apologize.”

On a much less drastic word, Whitfield has been criticized for her shady interview techniques and allegations of “gotcha journalism,” which has sometimes blown up in her face. That was the case in 2014 when the late comic Joan Rivers infamously walked out of an interview with Whitfield. Rivers informed Entry Hollywood that it felt like “an interrogation,” saying of Whitfield, “I am sorry for her, as a result of I believe she shouldn’t have been doing a comedy interview.” Whitfield’s interviews with Ohio Consultant Brad Wenstrup and others have been equally contentious.

Whereas CNN has fired many anchors with sketchy pasts (Chris Cuomo, Don Lemon, Eliot Spitzer), Richard Quest managed to outlive his. Quest has flourished at CNN since becoming a member of in 2001, regardless of making headlines on April 18, 2008. Quest was with one other man in Central Park, and when approached by the police for violating the curfew and loitering, he admitted that he was in possession of crystal meth. He additionally had a rope round his neck that was tied to his genitals, and a intercourse toy in his boot.

A choose ordered Quest to finish six months of rehab with drug counseling and remedy, nevertheless it was seemingly outpatient — Quest returned to CNN lower than two months later. If something, his profession truly blossomed. “My position at this time is much higher than it is ever been,” Quest informed The Guardian in June 2009. “That is the paradox of the entire state of affairs … Inside six months of the entire thing, I used to be again on air with a brand new present.”

Whereas he might not be on methamphetamine, his on-air conduct has typically been described as erratic or overly animated. In each April and July 2025, Quest eliminated one in all his sneakers and waved it at somebody on-air as a misjudged strategy to talk the sorts of merchandise that will probably be affected by President Donald Trump’s tariffs. That is when he is not loudly pounding tables along with his fingers and shouting, a lot to the awkwardness of different panelists.

CNN’s rich Chief Medical Correspondent, Sanjay Gupta, has garnered controversy from each side of the ideological aisle, particularly through the coronavirus and its aftermath. In October 2021, Dr. Gupta appeared on Joe Rogan’s podcast, which has a historical past of spreading misinformation concerning the coronavirus, and so they had a contentious dialog about CNN’s protection of the pandemic. Rogan repeated conservative critiques of CNN and Gupta (that that they had misled the general public concerning the dangers and advantages of vaccines), whereas liberals criticized Gupta for seemingly pandering to Rogan’s viewers.

Dr. Gupta’s perceived battle of curiosity as each a CNN reporter and a physician has additionally required some rationalization. As Washington Publish cultural critic Philip Kennicott informed NPR, “For those who’re there as a medical skilled and you are feeling, for causes of humanity, that it’s important to function a medical skilled, flip the digital camera off.” Performing emergency surgical procedures whereas reporting in locations like Haiti and Iraq makes for excellent tv, however might be ethically shady.

That battle of curiosity got here to a head when Dr. Gupta and CNN had been accused of deceptive viewers with a factually incorrect video that claimed he carried out life-saving surgical procedure on an eight-year-old in Nepal after the 2015 earthquake. In truth, he was filmed working on a 14-year-old with out the information of the hospital’s administration and its chief neurosurgeon. The International Press Journal referred to as out the error and revealed that neither the affected person nor her household even knew she was on CNN.

Earlier than his work on CNN, Van Jones’ time in politics ceaselessly drove Republicans apoplectic. Whereas working as a Particular Advisor for Inexperienced Jobs within the Barack Obama administration, conservatives launched what Jones referred to as “a vicious smear marketing campaign” in opposition to him. This included digging up video of Jones calling Republicans “a**holes,” and allegations that he’d signed a petition suggesting George W. Bush and his administration had been concerned in 9/11. After a barrage of assaults, Jones resigned from the Obama administration, however he carried the contempt of his critics with him to CNN.

Regardless of that, Jones has complimented President Donald Trump occasionally, a lot to the chagrin of different liberals like Pleasure Reid. He would go on to work with the Trump administration on an government order about police reform (work which even Jones’ outdated non-profit Shade of Change referred to as “delusional”). The issue is, as The Day by day Beast revealed, Jones didn’t publicly disclose this at a time when he was praising the coverage on CNN. “The manager order is an efficient factor, primarily since you noticed the help of regulation enforcement there,” Jones mentioned, amongst different constructive statements, earlier than his involvement was revealed.

Jones has been concerned in quite a few organizations over time and has not all the time had one thing to indicate for it. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos even gave Jones a examine for $100 million for his non-profit work, with Jones utilizing it to discovered Dream.org, one other unfocused group that he was compelled out of.

If any single anchor represents the face of CNN, it is long-time TV newsman Anderson Cooper. Regardless of his reputation, Cooper definitely has his haters and critics who contest his credibility. In spite of everything, he actually solid his first media credentials after he “could not get an entry-level job on any of the networks,” as Cooper informed Conan O’Brien. “I requested the director of the present to make a pretend press cross for me. I borrowed a digital camera they weren’t utilizing,” added Cooper, who descends from the scandal-riddled Vanderbilt dynasty.

Cooper has been mocked for his many on-air breakdowns, an emotionality which some folks discover inappropriate for the information. The New York Observer has even referred to as Cooper CNN’s “emo-anchor” (by way of New York Journal). Apart from weeping, Cooper has had a number of profane outbursts on stay tv, like when he mentioned to former New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu, “Do not be a d***” (by way of the New York Publish), which even ex-colleague Chris Cuomo gave him flak for, or throughout an interview with Rob Blagojevich by which he shouted, “Bulls***!” (by way of Deadline). That conduct is seemingly exacerbated with the help of alcohol, with Cooper and his pal Andy Cohen getting scolded by CNN for his or her ribald New 12 months’s Eve protection, resulting in CNN briefly banning on-air ingesting.

Whereas typically critiqued by Republicans, Cooper’s occasional capitulation to Donald Trump has been admonished by Democrats. This got here to a head with Cooper’s determination to host a city corridor with Trump in 2023, resulting in a extensively ridiculed apology.