CNN announced that former NPR host Audie Cornish will be joining its upcoming broadcast and existing podcast network on Monday, just days after her departure from NPR caught the eye.
“I am very excited to join CNN and the CNN + team. There are new stories to tell and new ways to tell them, ”Cornish said in a statement. “CNN has a dynamic system of reporters and storytelling channels. I am delighted to be a part of this. “
Cornish announced his departure from “All Things Considered”, which he co-hosted since 2012, last Tuesday. His departure sparked a flurry of online conversations and headlines revolving around the fact that numerous black and colored presenters have turned away from the public radio giant. He was preceded in his departure by “Weekend Edition Sunday” host Lourdes Garcia-Navarro, who moved to the New York Times in September, “Morning Edition” host Noel King, who addressed Vox Media in November, and former “1A” host Joshua Johnson, who landed on MSNBC.
“If NPR doesn’t see this as a crisis, I don’t know what will happen.” tweeted “All Things Considered” co-host Ari Shapiro last week.
A representative for NPR did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the mini-exodus.
Two days later Cornish addressed the situation in a tweet thread: “It seems my assumption that I would have a smooth transition was naive. So I’ll try to provide as much information as I can … using a language the internet understands hahaha. Every word in my ad is true. I am leaving of my own free will without malice or resentment. I have had a great career with a company full of people that I respect and admire. And I’m ready to try something new. I also understand that 4 hosts leaving in a year, three of them POC women, is a red flag, as underlined by my co-host @arishapiro earlier this week. I appreciate you taking care of raising it. I can’t speak for all POCs, but I want to be clear. I do not have to. Our experiences at the company vary and there are some common threads. Several people have been waving their hands in the air trying to draw attention to themselves. check the threads. do not hide! Also, some of these problems permeate the public media system – yes, the stations AND yes, your favorite podcast companies that grew out of that system. While the media reporting on this has treated each as an isolated problem, that is not the case. My path through public media and, frankly, journalism, of course, has not been all rosy. There have been many, many times when I was the only person of color ‘on the campaign bus’ ‘at the press conference’ ‘at the table’ ‘on the Sunday show’ and all that that entails. [Over] the years it has changed and for the better! There are a lot of amazingly talented black and brown people in front of the camera / mic, at high-profile concerts, they’re executives, and more. The other side of the coin is that many voices are speaking about the work that still needs to be done. Call them! Yes, this is for you media reporters. It’s also for public media managers, podcast companies, and news media companies who dive into audio. Trust, you have the same problems that are brewing (pay equity, cultural exclusion, recruitment and retention problems). You are not immune and you are not doing much better. “
Cornish will host a weekly show on CNN + while contributing to their programming roster in other ways. He will also host a CNN Audio podcast and appear on the television network for breaking news and political debates. It will be based in Washington, DC, and will begin in February.
“We are delighted to welcome Audie to CNN + and CNN Audio,” said Andrew Morse, executive vice president and chief digital officer of CNN Worldwide and director of CNN +. “Her voice has been such an important part of so many people’s lives, and the perspective, integrity and grace that have been the hallmarks of her career will make her such an important addition to our teams.”
Reference-www.thewrap.com
