On Sunday, Brian Stelter, host of CNN’s “Reliable Sources,” said the resignations of ex-CNN president Jeff Zucker and previous CNN marketing head Allison Gollust resulted in “a legal disaster for the network.”
Stelter said he was told by a source that Zucker would be unable to discuss more on the subject of why he left and what transpired. Everyone has retained an attorney, though.
Chris Cuomo may file a lawsuit, and Cuomo’s lawyer is reportedly seeking tens of millions of dollars from CNN, resulting in a legal stalemate for the network.
During the panel, Joe Peyronnin, a senior VP of CBS News, concurred with Stelter and said the situation might have been prevented.
Whether disingenuous or completely honest, the reality is the Jeff Zucker saga that saw his love interest Allison Gollust resign this week is a "legal mess for CNN," according to CNN's own media analyst Brian Stelter. https://t.co/zHW16xawcF pic.twitter.com/2xkJkabfLw
— Newsmax (@newsmax) February 20, 2022
According to the Wall Street Journal, Gollust resigned from CNN when its parent company, WarnerMedia, realized a prior statement she made regarding her connection with Zucker was false and deceptive.
More Details on the Story
“Our relationship evolved throughout COVID,” Gollust said at the time of the investigation.
Prior to the commencement of the COVID-19 pandemic, some CNN and WarnerMedia workers were said to have felt their connection was romantic in nature.
According to the Wall Street Journal, persons familiar with the situation later discovered her first assertion was false.
According to the statement, the investigation uncovered various breaches of company standards, based on interviews with more than 40 persons and an examination of more than 100,000 texts and emails.
More Information from the New York Times
According to the New York Times, the rules and practices infraction stemmed from talks Gollust used to have with former Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
According to Risa Heller, a spokesman for Gollust, she worked previously for Cuomo before taking up her post at CNN; she was the governor’s personal booker, according to her biography.
According to Stelter, it is quite rare for the director of public relations to be engaged in the booking of Cuomo and the conveying of information back and forth.
Mara Schiavocampo, a former ABC and NBC News journalist, said Gollust’s conversations with the governor aren’t even close to being unethical or out of the ordinary.
She said it was usual for someone being interviewed to express a desire to speak about certain topics. As for granting them that, Schiavocampo said doing so was also normal practice.
However, making the interview conditional on those things or agreeing not to question particular subjects would be unethical. She speculated it’s possible we do not even know the whole story yet.
BREAKING: Allison Gollust— Jeff Zucker’s lover and CNN Executive VP, CMO resigns after being exposed for secret affair with Zucker pic.twitter.com/GSqxZTJ4sv
— Benny (@bennyjohnson) February 16, 2022
He stated big news channels do have regulations in place when it comes to conducting interviews.
According to him, they do not enable you to exchange questions or to accept any inquiries from whomever the topic is. He did, however, note you may indicate the subject area.
