CNN Gets Lambasted After Announcing Desperate Cash Grab in Bid to Turn Company Around
CNN has recently announced the introduction of a paywall requiring some users to pay $3.99 per month for access to its news articles. This decision comes amid claims of financial distress within the organization. The announcement, deemed tone-deaf by critics, suggests that CNN views itself as a leading news source worthy of subscription fees despite declining viewer engagement. CNN’s executive highlighted that after consuming a specific number of free articles, users would be prompted to subscribe, with benefits such as exclusive content and fewer ads being presented as incentives.
Critics quickly pointed out what they perceived as a misguided business strategy, recalling the failure of CNN’s previous paid service, CNN+, which was short-lived. Comments from social media reflect a sentiment that a return to unbiased and honest journalism would be a more effective strategy for increasing viewership than charging for access. Many expressed skepticism about paying for what they view as partisan news content, reinforcing the idea that the network’s disconnect from audience preferences could lead to further declines in its audience. the announcement was met with a mix of disbelief and derision, highlighting the challenges CNN faces in the current media landscape.
If you ever needed proof that the elites running CNN live in an echo chamber with no sense of outside perception, look no further than this latest announcement.
The beleaguered news network announced Tuesday that it will soon introduce an initiative specifically meant to push readers away from its news site.
Seriously.
In a hilariously tone-deaf bit of boastfulness, the self-reporting from CNN began like this: “CNN, one of the most popular news websites in the world, is starting to ask some of its visitors to pay $3.99 a month for access.”
As fast and loose as CNN is playing with the term “most popular,” the rest of the article is almost even more unbelievable, if only because — as you’ll soon see — the hubris runs even deeper.
CNN’s report all but admitted that the issue is a financial one: “On Tuesday, the news organization is laying the first bricks in a so-called paywall that should, over time, help foot the bill for CNN’s journalism around the world.”
Given the state of the economy, this being a fiscal matter is hardly a surprise.
What is a mild surprise, and an ongoing theme for CNN, is just how delusional the network and its higher-ups are about the quality of its content.
Exhibit A: Alex MacCallum, CNN’s executive vice president of digital products and services.
He sent out a memo to employees outlining this new paywall that CNN was introducing.
“Starting today, we are asking users in the United States to pay a small recurring fee for unlimited access to CNN.com’s world-class articles,” MacCallum said.
The CNN executive went on to explain some of the nuances of this forthcoming paywall.
“Only after users consume a certain number of free articles will they be prompted to subscribe,” MacCallum wrote to his employees. “In addition to unlimited access to CNN.com’s articles, subscribers will receive benefits like exclusive election features, original documentaries, a curated daily selection of our most distinctive journalism, and fewer digital ads.”
So, in a nutshell, a network that can’t get people to tune in when CNN is already being paid for via a cable bill is expecting consumers to pay to read news that will inevitably pop up on social media or a competitor site.
Again, seriously.
Unsurprisingly, the network is being taken to task for this boneheaded business decision.
Just look at some of the responses to re-hired CNN stooge Brian Stelter making the announcement on social media platform X:
I know you guys need to make money, but instead of this, you could try returning to honest, unbiased coverage. That would attract more viewers.
This will be the last nail in your coffin. I don’t care either way because your days as journalists are over…
— Matt Bartruff (@MattBartruff) October 1, 2024
One X user astutely suggested: “I know you guys need to make money, but instead of this, you could try returning to honest, unbiased coverage. That would attract more viewers.”
That X user added: “This will be the last nail in your coffin.”
Another X user reminded CNN what happened the last time it dabbled in paid services.
It’s like the CNN+ fiasco never happened
— Jeff Carlson (@themarketswork) October 1, 2024
“It’s like the CNN+ fiasco never happened,” the user posted.
(For the unfamiliar, CNN+ was a short-lived streaming service offered by the outlet in 2022. It lasted for all of a month.)
Oh, and about that echo chamber?
How’s this for a condescending conclusion to CNN’s self-congratulatory announcement: “Still, many readers and viewers don’t connect the dots between personally paying for news and helping to sustain the industry as a whole.”
Oh, readers can connect the dots alright.
They just don’t want to pay for a Democrat apparatchik outfit like CNN.
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