CNN mum on Brooke Baldwin’s comments about gender inequality at network
Several of CNN’s female on-air personalities failed to respond when asked if they agree with Baldwin’s comments
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Departing CNN anchor Brooke Baldwin aired grievances this week about the lack of opportunities for women at the liberal network, but CNN’s high-profile female staffers aren’t rushing to her defense.
"The most influential anchors on our network, the highest-paid, are men. My bosses, my executives, are men. The person who oversees CNN Dayside is a man, and my executive producer for 10 years is a man. So I’ve been surrounded by a lot of men," Baldwin said on the Ms. Magazine podcast.
Fox News reached out to several of CNN’s female on-air personalities, asking if they agreed with Baldwin or had thoughts on gender inequality at CNN, but none responded.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Outgoing CNN anchor Brooke Baldwin is airing grievances about the lack of opportunities for women at CNN on her way out the door.
Fox News also asked six women from CNN’s media relations department for a comment on the matter, but did not immediately receive a response. CNN’s "Reliable Sources" media newsletter didn’t mention Baldwin’s comments in its Wednesday edition, either, despite the remarks being picked up by several prominent publications, including People magazine.
CNN’s @CNNPR Twitter feed also hasn’t chimed in.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CNN is the only major cable news network in America without a female primetime host. The network raised eyebrows when it took Baldwin off her afternoon show and replaced her with Jake Tapper for the month leading up to the 2020 election.
Feminist and author Amy Siskind took notice of the lack of women in primetime and praised Baldwin for commenting.
"It's sure noticeable the [sic] only CNN has all men in the prime time 8-11 slots. Glad Brooke spoke up on the way out," Siskind wrote.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Baldwin announced in February she would soon leave CNN after 13 years. Her exit was foreshadowed last fall after she sent cryptic messages on Instagram that suggested she was being forced off the air in favor of Tapper.
"As the election gears up, the political maestro @jaketapper will hold down my hour and his for the coming weeks. Wish I was with you, but I’ll see ya on [TV] on the flip side of the election," Baldwin wrote back in October.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A fan asked, "Why are you taking so many weeks off at such an important time?"
"Not my choice," Baldwin replied.
While CNN has remained silent on Baldwin’s comments, many took to Twitter with thoughts on the situation:
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The rarely discussed issue isn’t new for CNN. In 2018, Hollywood trade publication "TheWrap" analyzed weekday programming on various networks and found CNN didn’t have as many female anchors as competitors.
"CNN has significantly fewer women serving in visible on-air roles than either Fox News or MSNBC," TheWrap reported.