CNN viewers tuning out over liberal bias: poll

As CNN wrestles with declining ratings and staff layoffs, polling data suggests that many of the network's woes may stem from its perceived liberal bias.

Roughly 54% of CNN viewers indicated that the frequency with which they view the network had declined, according to a McLaughlin & Associates survey conducted on behalf of the Media Research Center. Roughly 30.5% indicated their viewing habits remained unchanged while 13.5% indicated they had begun to watch the network more often.

Conducted Dec. 9-14, the poll surveyed 1,000 voters in the November 2022 elections, according to the Washington Times.

Respondents were presented with the statement "One of the reasons I find myself watching CNN less often is because of its liberal/leftwing bias," with which 61% of respondents agreed. Of those, self-identified conservatives unsurprisingly endorsed the statement in spades, while roughly 52% of moderates and liberals did so.

2022 marked a rough year for the network, with it quickly scuttling its streaming service CNN+ shortly after its launch, and announcing significant layoffs in November. Several longtime personalities such as Chris Cuomo, Jeffrey Toobin, and Brian Stelter also departed the network.

CNN CEO Chris Licht lamented the deterioration of journalistic standards in December during an interview with the New York Times.

"The uninformed vitriol, especially from the left, has been stunning," he said. "Which proves my point: so much of what passes for news is name-calling, half-truths and desperation."