David Zaslav, the CEO of CNN’s parent company Warner Bros. Discovery, defended the ratings-challenged cable network’s decision to broadcast a town hall with former President Donald Trump next week.
“He’s the frontrunner, he has to be on our network,” Zaslav said Friday during an interview on CNBC’s “Squawk Box.”
Zaslav, who has been instrumental in forcing CNN to ditch the left-leaning commentary that kept Trump from appearing on the network for years, said it was important to give the 2024 Republican candidate for president a forum.
“We are a divided government. We need to hear both voices. That’s what you see. Republicans are on the air on CNN, Democrats are on the air. All voices should be heard,” Zaslav added.
The town hall, to be held Tuesday at 8 p.m. at St. Anselm College in New Hampshire, will be moderated by CNN anchor Kaitlan Collins.
Zaslav did not address whether the network would have any system in place to censor or cut off Trump, who has cast doubt on his 2020 election loss to Joe Biden and been blamed for inciting the Jan. 6 riots.
A CNN spokesperson told The Post: “Our job despite his unique circumstances is to do what we do best: Ask tough questions, follow up, and hold him accountable to give voters the information they need to sort through their choices.”
Last week, ABC News admitted to editing out statements anti-vaxxer Robert F. Kennedy Jr. made about the COVID-19 vaccine during an exclusive interview conducted with the longshot Democratic presidential candidate.
When asked about the possibility of censoring Trump, CNN declined to comment about its on-air procedures and logistics.
Zaslav told CNBC that the town hall will be an opportunity to establish CNN as “a network about facts — the best version of the facts … great journalism and not just politics, either.”
Zaslav took the reins of the media giant after last year’s $43 billion merger of WarnerMedia and Discovery. He installed Chris Licht to replace Jeff Zucker as CNN’s top executive with marching orders to move the network’s coverage back to the center.
“When we do politics, we need to represent both sides,” he told CNBC.
Mehdi Hasan, an anchor for MSNBC, questioned the rival network’s decision to have a town hall with Trump.
“I do hope CNN chief Chris Licht doesn’t have to end up apologizing for giving Trump this platform in the same way that his predecessor Jeff Zucker had to apologize for running all those Trump rallies uninterrupted on CNN back in 2016,” Hasan said during his show Thursday.
He continued: “Personally I wouldn’t interview a man who has used live interviews to incite violence and tell lies.”
In addition, the women’s advocacy nonprofit organization UltraViolet has started a petition to cancel the town hall.
“CNN’s decision to provide Trump with a platform is dangerous,” reads the petition, which garnered more than 17,000 signatures as of Thursday night.
Zaslav went on CNBC after Warner Bros Discovery reported a surprise quarterly loss on Friday on costs tied to its 2022 merger, taking the shine off the first profit for its streaming business.
The media company forged by the union of WarnerMedia and Discovery recorded a $1.81 billion charge in the first quarter due to the merger, while also booking $95 million in restructuring expenses.
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