CNN CEO Licht says 'uninformed vitriol, especially from the left, has been stunning'

Chris Licht, who has been CEO of CNN since February, said he is surprised by the amount of "uninformed vitriol" from liberals, as he is looking to change the network's direction.

"The uninformed vitriol, especially from the left, has been stunning," Licht said during a series of interviews with The New York Times published Sunday. "Which proves my point: so much of what passes for news is name-calling, half-truths and desperation."

Licht having taken over for fired CEO Jeff Zucker and the Licht shedding some of the cable news network's on-air talent has been perceived as a sign CNN has moved so far to the left that it's losing viewers. 

Licht said he does not want to move the network to the "center," which he considered a boring neutral zone that he was unsure even existed. He said CNN's new direction will be to not tell people "what to think" but "how to think" by giving the audience a "blueprint for how to make decisions."

Licht, who launched MSNBC's "Morning Joe" and a reboot of "CBS This Morning," has also shaken up CNN's lineup since taking over the company by moving the left-leaning Don Lemon from a prime-time slot to an early morning show with former Daily Caller reporter and CNN White House correspondent Kaitlan Collins.