CNN Executive Gollust Was Ousted After Discussing Interview Topics With Governor Cuomo

Earlier DU thread: Second CNN executive exits in wake of internal Cuomo inquiry

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Source: New York Times

CNN Executive Was Ousted After Discussing Interview Topics With Governor

An internal investigation found that a top executive, Allison Gollust, had extensive communications with then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

By Michael M. Grynbaum, John Koblin and Emily Steel
Feb. 18, 2022

On a Saturday in March 2020, as Covid-19 was invading the United States, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo went on CNN for a live interview. Among other topics, he was asked about a possible government-enforced quarantine of New York that had been floated by President Donald J. Trump.

It was a newsworthy topic, but its path onto viewers’ screens would turn out to be controversial — and highly consequential for the future of one of the world’s most powerful news networks.

Before the interview, Governor Cuomo had told a senior CNN executive, Allison Gollust, about subjects that he’d like to be asked about on air, according to several people familiar with the matter. Ms. Gollust, CNN’s longtime chief of communications and marketing and a former top aide of the governor, passed along the topics to CNN producers and then reported back to the governor.

“Done,” she wrote.

On Tuesday, Ms. Gollust was forced to resign from CNN after an internal investigation found a trove of written communications between her and Governor Cuomo, including messages about the March 2020 appearance, the people said. Jeff Zucker, who at the time was CNN’s president, was aware of many of the communications between Ms. Gollust and the governor, the people said.

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Read more: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/18/business/media/allison-gollust-cnn-cuomo.html

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