CNN names former BBC, NY Times executive Mark Thompson its new CEO

CNN on Wednesday named Mark Thompson as its new chief executive and chairman, making him the seventh person to lead the network over the past year and a half.

Originally from London, Thompson had worked as the chief executive of The New York Times and as the BBC's director-general before joining CNN.

The news network has faced a series of challenges since February 2022, when CNN President Jeff Zucker resigned over his failure to disclose a relationship with a colleague. Chris Licht was named his successor and became CEO and chairman of the company later that month.

Licht was fired in June 2023 following declining ratings and financial troubles.

Since Licht left CNN, four different interim leaders led the news organization as its parent company, Warner Bros. Discovery, searched for a new CEO, according to Axios.

Thompson will officially start Oct. 9. 

"The world needs accurate trustworthy news now more than ever and we’ve never had more ways of meeting that need at home and abroad," Thompson said Wednesday.

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