February 2, 2022

Jeff Zucker, One of the Most Powerful Media Execs Who Turned Trump Into a Star, Resigns From CNN

Dennis Van Tine/AP

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The media world is reeling over Jeff Zucker’s stunning announcement that after nine years, he’s stepping down as president of CNN, writing in a company-wide memo that he had failed to disclose a “consensual relationship with my closest colleague.” 

That bombshell resignation was made all the more explosive because Zucker’s romance with Allison Gollust, a senior executive at the network, came to light amid the investigation into Chris Cuomo, the CNN anchor who was fired in December after helping his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, amid the sexual misconduct investigation that led to his own resignation.

One of the most powerful men in media, Zucker helped build CNN into an empire, in part by covering every moment of Donald Trump’s rise to power while also chastising the former president’s attacks on the press. Trump, who yes, apparently is that bored, swiftly released a statement relishing the news, calling Zucker a “world-class sleazebag.” His adult son, Donald Trump Jr., chimed in with an exceedingly pathetic, “If only Trump still had Twitter right now!!!”

Despite some public gestures at feuding, Zucker famously loved the ratings Trump delivered for the cable news network. It was also Zucker, who during his tenure at NBC, brought in Trump as the face of “The Apprentice.” It’s safe to say that Trump will be at the center of Zucker’s legacy.

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WHO DOESN’T LOVE A POSITIVE STORY—OR TWO?

“Great journalism really does make a difference in this world: it can even save kids.”

That’s what a civil rights lawyer wrote to Julia Lurie, the day after her major investigation into a psychiatric hospital chain that uses foster children as “cash cows” published, letting her know he was using her findings that same day in a hearing to keep a child out of one of the facilities we investigated.

That’s awesome. As is the fact that Julia, who spent a full year reporting this challenging story, promptly heard from a Senate committee that will use her work in their own investigation of Universal Health Services. There’s no doubt her revelations will continue to have a big impact in the months and years to come.

Like another story about Mother Jones’ real-world impact.

This one, a multiyear investigation, published in 2021, exposed conditions in sugar work camps in the Dominican Republic owned by Central Romana—the conglomerate behind brands like C&H and Domino, whose product ends up in our Hershey bars and other sweets. A year ago, the Biden administration banned sugar imports from Central Romana. And just recently, we learned of a previously undisclosed investigation from the Department of Homeland Security, looking into working conditions at Central Romana. How big of a deal is this?

“This could be the first time a corporation would be held criminally liable for forced labor in their own supply chains,” according to a retired special agent we talked to.

Wow.

And it is only because Mother Jones is funded primarily by donations from readers that we can mount ambitious, yearlong—or more—investigations like these two stories that are making waves.

About that: It’s unfathomably hard in the news business right now, and we came up about $28,000 short during our recent fall fundraising campaign. We simply have to make that up soon to avoid falling further behind than can be made up for, or needing to somehow trim $1 million from our budget, like happened last year.

If you can, please support the reporting you get from Mother Jones—that exists to make a difference, not a profit—with a donation of any amount today. We need more donations than normal to come in from this specific blurb to help close our funding gap before it gets any bigger.

payment methods

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