John Harwood’s abrupt exit from CNN Friday has added fuel to the #BoycottCNN fire as many grow wary of the network’s centrist move.
“If CNN is moving Trumpward let them know you are not happy,” one user tweeted Sunday. “Ditto canning John Harwood.”
Harwood, the network’s White House Correspondent, announced that it was his last day at CNN on Friday, hours after describing Donald Trump as a “dishonest demagogue” in his analysis of President Joe Biden’s national address Thursday evening, in which the President warned that “MAGA Republicans” are threatening to undermine US Democracy.
Harwood, 65, shared his departure on Twitter, writing, “Personal news: today’s my last day at CNN proud of the work thanks to my colleagues i’ve been lucky to serve the best in American media – St. Petersburg Times, WSJ, NYT, the NBC family, CNN look forward to figuring out what’s next.”
The original call to #BoycottCNN began in August, after suspicion that John Malone, Warner Bros. Discovery shareholder and billionaire media mogul, might have been behind canceling Brian Stelter’s “Reliable Sources.”
Although Malone, who has previously supported Trump, denied he was involved in the decision in an email to The New York Times, he noted that he wants “the ‘news’ portion of CNN to be more centrist, but [he is not] in control or directly involved.”
The controversy has done anything but settle down in the following weeks, and Harwood’s sudden exit, which many speculate came as a result of calling out Trump, from the network has ignited an even larger discussion about CNN’s values.
“Just uninstalled the @cnn app from my phone. I had it for years,” one user tweeted Sunday. “There’s no ‘both sides’ to fascism. Im the daughter of 2 Holocaust survivors.”
“The firing of John Harwood on CNN because John Malone major shareholder of the company and a Trump supporter is Another sad day for American award-winning journalists that report the truth to defend our democracy,” another tweeted.
Some connected Harwood’s departure to Stelter’s recent exit, with one noting that both journalists “consistently exposed & Trump’s extremism and authoritarianism.”
“Firing @brianstelter and now @JohnJHarwood… coupled with what is increasingly feeling like a coordinated effort to push Republican talking points, and ‘both sides’ fascism, has made it impossible for me to continue to watch,” another person wrote Sunday. “So I’m out.”
Eric Schultz, who served as President Obama’s senior advisor, brought up media critic Margaret Sullivan, who recently left The Washington Post, whose exit, along with Stelter’s departure, created a huge void in media criticism.
“I think history will be kind to reporters like @JohnJHarwood @Sulliview @brianstelter who took pro-democracy stands even if in the moment it makes their employers uncomfortable,” he wrote.
Check out additional reactions to Harwood’s exit from CNN: