CNN’s Zucker: Our brand ‘has never been stronger’

CNN President Jeff Zucker has written in an internal memo to his employees that states despite the attacks on the network brand, “it has never been stronger.”

“While significant research shows that our brand, despite consistent attacks from Washington and beyond, has never been stronger, we heard you and we agree,” Zucker wrote in the note obtained by TVNewser.

“We think there is no better time to take a clear stand for who we are and what we believe in,” he added.

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CNN introduced is “Facts First” ad campaign on Monday by indirectly mocking President Trump, posting a short video that shows just an apple while a narrator explains a situation where “someone may tell you it’s a banana.”

“They might scream banana, banana, banana, over and over again,” the narration continues. “They might put BANANA in all caps. You might even start to believe that this is a banana. But it’s not. This is an apple.”

The president often uses capital letters in his tweets to drive home a point, particularly as it pertains to what he refers to as “fake news.” 

Wow, CNN had to retract big story on “Russia,” with 3 employees forced to resign. What about all the other phony stories they do? FAKE NEWS!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 27, 2017

The not-so-subtle jab at Trump was not lost on media reports on the new CNN initiative.

• The Week Magazine: “CNN’s new ad uses fruit to attack Trump’s bogus ‘fake news’ claims”
• Variety: “CNN Fights ‘Fake News’ Claims With New ‘Facts First’ Campaign”
• TV Newser: “CNN Launches New Marketing Campaign Meant to Blunt Trump Attacks”

With the exception of NBC more recently, Trump has arguably attacked CNN more than any other broadcast news outlet. And while he has conducted interviews with every broadcast news outlet since taking office, including ABC, NBC, CBS and, most frequently, Fox News, the president has not appeared on CNN in 15 months dating back to August 2016.

Trump’s war with the network hit a fever pitch in July after the president retweeted a meme showing Trump tackling a CNN logo and punching it the face.

The footage was originally from an appearance the real estate mogul made at a World Wrestling Entertainment event back in 2008. 

#FraudNewsCNN #FNN pic.twitter.com/WYUnHjjUjg

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 2, 2017

The network took exception to the meme after the president greatly assisted in helping it go viral.

Days later, it reported it had tracked down the meme’s creator, HanA**holeSolo, and threatened to reveal his identity if he went back to his “nefarious meme-making ways.”

“Should HanA**holeSolo ever revert to his nefarious meme-making ways, CNN reserves the right to publish his identity should any of that change,” the network warned.

The president’s continued barrage toward the media comes as polls consistently show a decided majority of Republicans and his supporters have lost faith in the media’s ability to do its job objectively and fairly.

A July NPR-PBS Newshour-Marist poll, for example, showed that 91 percent of Republicans and 93 percent of Trump supporters don’t trust the media.

Also in July, 54 percent of Americans told the left-leaning Public Policy Polling they trust CNN more than Trump, which was 15 points higher than the 39 percent who said they trust him more than the cable news network.

An October Politico/Morning Consult poll showed 46 percent of all voters believe the media is fabricating stories about Trump and his administration. The same poll showed just 11 percent of Republican voters believe the press isn’t making up stories about the president and White House officials.

For CNN, the results have been a mixed bag from a ratings perspective.

On one hand, the network’s third quarter was its second most-watched since 2008. 

On the other hand, CNN finished third to MSNBC and Fox News in total viewers and in the key 25- to 54-year-old demographic advertisers covet most in primetime.

Overall, CNN finished second in Total Day (6 a.m. to 6 p.m) in the demographic ahead of MSNBC and behind Fox. 

Zucker encouraged his employees on Monday “to share with friends and across your social media networks” the new “Facts First” campaign. 

“I encourage you to do so, and keep in mind the spirit of its message in your work every day,” Zucker wrote.

CNN anchor Don Lemon tweeted about the ad campaign Monday asking for followers to share the ad with their “factually challanged friends.” 

Please share with your factually challenged friends, relatives, coworkers. There are plenty around us lately. #factsfirst #cnn pic.twitter.com/K0wNuIPOvb

— Don Lemon (@donlemon) October 23, 2017