CNN faces backlash after all-male ‘future of media’ magazine cover

A cover story on “CNN’s New War” in a new edition of The Hollywood Reporter that only features men from the network on its cover is receiving backlash on social media. 

 

The title refers to the network’s ongoing battle with the Trump administration, a battle that CNN President Jeff Zucker said in a February interview his employees wear “as a badge of honor.”

 

Included on the cover is Zucker, celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain, host Jake Tapper, host W. Kamau Bell, and YouTube sensation and recent CNN hire Casey Neistat. 

 

{mosads}The backlash from other media members came quickly. 

 

.@JosiahRyan @CaseyNeistat @Bourdain @jaketapper @wkamaubell @CNN Gents, not one of you noticed “We’re all dudes. That doesn’t seem right.”

— Robert Hernandez (@webjournalist) March 1, 2017

@JosiahRyan @CaseyNeistat @Bourdain @jaketapper @wkamaubell @CNN
The future of media is 100% straight men and 4/5 white? Nope.Nopeity Nope.

— Celeste Headlee (@CelesteHeadlee) March 1, 2017

Hey CNN, women can fight your new war, too, you know. https://t.co/62HOFO08r3

— Mark Joyella (@standupkid) March 1, 2017

 

CNN social producer Isabelle Chapman also made note of the all-male cover, along with New York Times reporter Danielle Ivory. 

These CNN men are doing INCREDIBLE things. The women are also killing it by the way.https://t.co/nozN28Cyz4

— Isabelle Chapman (@Isa_Chapman) March 1, 2017

I’m pretty sure the future of media also has some ladies. https://t.co/LrYvSS4arp

— Danielle Ivory (@danielle_ivory) March 1, 2017

 

Tapper has been on the front lines of social media in the network’s back-and-forth with the administration, especially White House press secretary Sean Spicer in recent days. 

 

On Saturday, Tapper mocked Spicer by jumping into a dispute not involving CNN while carbon copying former President Obama, a reference to President Trump’s former support for the conspiracy theory that Obama wasn’t born in the United States.

 

For the record @nytimes @grynbaum can’t even get where I was born right and failed to ask https://t.co/hIb3QFxK6P

— Sean Spicer (@seanspicer) February 25, 2017

I imagine it must be really annoying when someone puts out false info about where you were born. Must really bother you!!

cc @BarackObama https://t.co/BCQAWiEksB

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) February 25, 2017

Trump has targeted CNN more than any other broadcast news outlet, often referring to it as “fake news.”