CNN’s parent cites journalistic lapses in Jeff Zucker’s exit, as another executive resigns.
CNN’s parent company said on Tuesday that journalistic lapses had contributed to the sudden exit of Jeff Zucker, who resigned as the network’s president this month after acknowledging a romantic affair with a fellow executive.
The executive, Allison Gollust, CNN’s top communications and marketing officer, resigned on Tuesday.
For nearly two weeks, WarnerMedia, which owns CNN, and its chief executive, Jason Kilar, had refused to detail the nature of Mr. Zucker’s departure. On Tuesday evening, the company released a statement after being notified by The New York Times that it was finalizing a story on the departures of Mr. Zucker and Chris Cuomo, CNN’s top-rated anchor who was fired in early December.
“Based on interviews of more than 40 individuals and a review of over 100,000 texts and emails, the investigation found violations of company policies, including CNN’s News Standards and Practices, by Jeff Zucker, Allison Gollust and Chris Cuomo,” Mr. Kilar wrote on Tuesday.
Mr. Zucker resigned on Feb. 2 after he said he had failed to disclose his relationship with Ms. Gollust, which was in violation of company policy.
“We have the highest standards of journalistic integrity at CNN, and those rules must apply to everyone equally. Given the information provided to me in the investigation, I strongly believe we have taken the right actions and the right decisions have been made,” Mr. Kilar said.
In a release on Tuesday evening, Ms. Gollust said, “WarnerMedia’s statement tonight is an attempt to retaliate against me and change the media narrative in the wake of their disastrous handling of the last two weeks. It is deeply disappointing that after spending the past nine years defending and upholding CNN’s highest standards of journalistic integrity, I would be treated this way as I leave.”
A representative for Mr. Zucker did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Tuesday night. Steven Goldberg, a spokesman for Chris Cuomo, declined to comment on Tuesday about the memo.
