THR_dean_baquet - H 2015
Dustin CohenThe New York Times executive editor Dean Baquet is airing some strong opinions about U.S. cable news outlets.
In a new interview, Baquet called CNN’s considerable Trump coverage “ridiculous,” and singled out the decision to hire former Donald Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski as a commentator.
“I’m sorry, that is outrageous. I cannot fathom that,” he told The Financial Times.
Baquet elaborated to the paper that cable news is “in the long run, bad for democracy and those institutions … This mix of entertainment and news, and news masquerading as entertainment, is kind of funny except that we now have a guy who is a product of that world nominated as the Republican presidential candidate.”
Undoubtedly, Trump has been a huge ratings driver for news outlets. CNN stands to make $100 million more than it typically would in an election year, according to an NPR report.
That huge ad boon is one reason why it’s often rumored that Trump is looking to step into the world of cable news with his own media foray.
Of course, it isn’t just CNN and Fox who have benefited from Trump coverage. “It may not be good for America, but it’s damn good for [us],” CBS CEO Leslie Moonves said at a media conference in February. (Moonves later clarified that he was joking.)
CNN chief Jeff Zucker, meanwhile, has brushed aside any criticisms. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter this week, the exec said: “This is the best year in the history of cable news … for everybody.”
