Washington DC, January 28
CNN anchor Jim Acosta, known for his confrontational exchanges with Trump administration officials in the White House briefing room, announced his departure from the network on Tuesday after nearly 20 years, according to a report by The New York Times.
Following this, President Donald Trump reacted to the news with a post on social media platform Truth Social, calling Acosta "one of the worst and most dishonest reporters in journalistic history" and celebrating his departure as "really good news."
"Wow, really good news! Jim Acosta, one of the worst and most dishonest reporters in journalistic history, a major sleazebag, has been relegated by CNN Fake News to the Midnight hour, "Death Valley," because of extraordinarily bad ratings (and no talent!). Word is that he wants to quit, and that would be even better. Jim is a major loser who will fail no matter where he ends up. Good luck Jim," Trump wrote.
Acosta made the announcement at the end of his 10 a.m. show, which will be his last for CNN. He is stepping down after clashing with the network over a decision to move his show to the midnight hour, a time slot that is often referred to as a "cable news backwater," according to two people familiar with the discussions, The New York Times reported.
Veteran CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer will take over Acosta's time slot, joined by co-anchor Pamela Brown. Acosta's program had ranked third in its time slot for total viewers, behind MSNBC and Fox News, although it performed better than MSNBC in the key demographic for advertisers.
In a statement, CNN acknowledged Acosta's "dedication and commitment," commending his nearly 20-year career with the network.
"Jim has had a long, distinguished nearly 20-year career at CNN, with a track record of standing up to authority, for the First Amendment and for our journalistic freedoms," the statement said, according to The New York Times.
- ANI