Editing CNN (section)

==Controversies and criticisms==
{{Main|CNN controversies}}

CNN has been involved in various controversies, criticisms, and allegations since its inception in 1980. The channel is known for its dramatic live coverage of [[breaking news]], some of which has drawn [[CNN controversies|criticism]] as overly [[Sensationalism|sensationalistic]].

CNN claims to be "The Most Trusted Name in News",<ref>{{Cite web |title=CNN |url=http://edition.cnn.com/services/trusted/ |access-date=January 13, 2022 |website=CNN |archive-date=March 31, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331151122/http://edition.cnn.com/services/trusted/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> but its efforts to be [[Nonpartisanism in the United States|nonpartisan]] have led to accusations of [[false balance]].{{refn|<ref>{{cite web|first1=Justin|last1=Peters|access-date=January 8, 2020|title=Firing Jeffrey Lord Doesn't Fix CNN's Jeffrey Lord Problem|url=https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2017/08/firing-jeffrey-lord-doesnt-fix-cnns-jeffrey-lord-problem.html|date=August 11, 2017|website=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200114044139/https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2017/08/firing-jeffrey-lord-doesnt-fix-cnns-jeffrey-lord-problem.html|archive-date=January 14, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|access-date=January 8, 2020|title=CNN's pro-Trump posse clouds its journalism|url=https://www.cjr.org/covering_the_election/cnn_trump_analyst_lord_lewandowski_mcenany.php|website=Columbia Journalism Review|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200114044140/https://www.cjr.org/covering_the_election/cnn_trump_analyst_lord_lewandowski_mcenany.php|archive-date=January 14, 2020|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="IntReview">{{cite news |last1=Roberts |first1=Jacob W. |title=The Tragedy of Media Sensationalism in America |url=http://scir.org/2014/05/the-tragedy-of-media-sensationalism-in-america/ |access-date=August 6, 2019 |work=Southern California International Review |date=May 20, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190916130930/http://scir.org/2014/05/the-tragedy-of-media-sensationalism-in-america/ |archive-date=September 16, 2019 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name="Vox">{{cite news |last1=Maza |first1=Carlos |title=CNN treats politics like a sport — that's bad for all of us |url=https://www.vox.com/videos/2017/4/17/15325172/strikethrough-cnn-espn-trump-surrogates |access-date=August 6, 2019 |work=[[Vox (website)|Vox]] |date=April 17, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190804052117/https://www.vox.com/videos/2017/4/17/15325172/strikethrough-cnn-espn-trump-surrogates |archive-date=August 4, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Shafer|first=Jack|date=May 25, 2021|title=Rick Santorum and CNN's 'Trumping Heads' Problem|url=https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/05/25/rick-santorum-cnn-donald-trump-490813|access-date=June 3, 2021|website=[[Politico]]|language=en|archive-date=June 3, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210603135920/https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2021/05/25/rick-santorum-cnn-donald-trump-490813|url-status=live}}</ref>}} One study measured airtime of guests on major news networks between 2010 and 2021 and compared that to the guests' campaign donations. It found guests on CNN to have a liberal bias (a "campaign finance score" of −9.7, where 0 is equal airtime, compared to −14.1 for MSNBC and 49.8 for Fox News), which became more pronounced during the [[First presidency of Donald Trump|Trump administration]]. The same study found that some popular primetime news shows on CNN, such as ''[[Anderson Cooper 360°|Anderson Cooper 360]]'' or ''[[CNN Tonight]]'', are more left-leaning than popular MSNBC shows such as ''[[The Rachel Maddow Show]]'' or ''[[The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle|The 11th Hour with Brian Williams]]''.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=Bauder |first=David |date=2022-08-26 |title=CNN management intent on changing perception of the network |url=https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/cnn-management-intent-changing-perception-network-88892179 |access-date=2022-09-05 |website=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]] |language=en |archive-date=September 7, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220907022134/https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/cnn-management-intent-changing-perception-network-88892179 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Kim |first1=Eunji |last2=Lelkes |first2=Yphtach |last3=McCrain |first3=Joshua |date=2022-08-09 |title=Measuring dynamic media bias |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |language=en |volume=119 |issue=32 |pages=e2202197119 |doi=10.1073/pnas.2202197119 |doi-access=free |issn=0027-8424 |pmc=9371639 |pmid=35914125|bibcode=2022PNAS..11902197K }}</ref>

In January 2020, CNN settled a multi-million dollar [[defamation]] lawsuit from [[2019 Lincoln Memorial confrontation|Nick Sandmann]], a [[Covington Catholic High School]] student involved in an encounter with [[Omaha people|Omaha]] tribe elder Nathan Phillips at the [[Lincoln Memorial]] in [[Washington, D.C.]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Darcy |first=Oliver |date=2020-01-07 |title=CNN settles lawsuit with Nick Sandmann stemming from viral video controversy {{!}} CNN Business |url=https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/07/media/cnn-settles-lawsuit-viral-video/index.html |access-date=2023-05-13 |website=CNN |language=en |archive-date=November 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211113164935/https://www.cnn.com/2020/01/07/media/cnn-settles-lawsuit-viral-video/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2020-01-08 |title=CNN settles defamation lawsuit with Kentucky teen in Lincoln Memorial case |language=en |work=[[Reuters]] |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-media-cnn-idUSKBN1Z70CL |access-date=2023-05-13 |archive-date=May 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230513123126/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-media-cnn-idUSKBN1Z70CL |url-status=live }}</ref>

When Chris Licht took over the network in 2022, he expressed an intention to have more [[Republican Party (United States)|Republicans]] on the air and cut down on opinion-related content.<ref name=":1" />

After being fired in December 2021, former host [[Chris Cuomo]] was reported to be seeking {{USD|125 million|long=no}} in damages, alleging a breach of agreement.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Shivaram |first1=Deepa |title=Chris Cuomo seeks $125 million after being fired from CNN |work=NPR |date=March 17, 2022 |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/03/17/1087167551/chris-cuomo-cnn-125-million |access-date=May 9, 2023 |archive-date=May 9, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230509175908/https://www.npr.org/2022/03/17/1087167551/chris-cuomo-cnn-125-million |url-status=live }}</ref> In April 2023, host [[Don Lemon]] announced that he had been fired.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Michael M. Grynbaum, John Koblin |first1=and Benjamin Mullin |title=Don Lemon Ousted From CNN in Move That Left Him 'Stunned' |work=The New York Times |date=April 24, 2023 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/24/business/media/don-lemon-cnn.html |access-date=May 9, 2023 |archive-date=April 24, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230424165616/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/24/business/media/don-lemon-cnn.html |url-status=live }}</ref>