CNN wants to banish Jim Acosta’s show to ‘TV News Siberia’ to stop him from bothering Trump

According to a former colleague.

Network chief Mark Thompson this week called Acosta to propose moving his show, “CNN Newsroom with Jim Acosta,” from the 10 a.m. slot to the midnight slot, the former senior CNN media reporter reported. Oliver Darcy in his Status News newsletter. .

“The move would effectively exile Acosta to the Siberia of TV news,” Darcy wrote.

Acosta was caught “off guard,” Darcy said — with the anchor later using his airtime for some self-promotion to send a message to Trump to go easy on reporters.

“He had no reason to believe his current show would be on the block. In fact, its ratings have historically been some of the network’s strongest,” Darcy noted.

Acosta was told his potential move was to accommodate veteran anchor Wolf Blitzer from primetime evenings to a morning show — and it had nothing to do with ratings or his editorial style, Darcy said.

However, sources backed the move in the run-up to Trump’s return to office, given Acosta’s notoriously testy relationship with the president-elect — who famously called the anchor “a rude, horrible person.” .

“They want to get rid of Acosta to throw Trump a bone,” an unnamed media executive told the paper.

“Midnight is not a serious offering when its ratings are among the best on the network.”

Acosta was CNN’s White House correspondent during the first Trump administration and has had numerous confrontations, leading to him losing his press pass after a small exchange with the then-president at a press conference in 2018.

“CNN should be ashamed that you’re working for them,” Trump told Acosta at the time.

It was not immediately clear whether Acosta was considering the midnight show offer.

The news broke, however, as Acosta used his Thursday show to throw shade at Trump and sing about the importance of the media — just days after the inauguration.

“I want to take a moment to talk about something that President Biden said during his farewell address,” Acosta said as he began a nearly minute-long speech.

“He warned that the free press is collapsing in this country. I would add, that’s only if we, the people, let it happen,” he continued. “Journalists exist to seek the truth, to tell people’s stories, to raise voices that might not otherwise be heard, to shine a light on injustice and to hold the powerful to account.”

“We are not the enemy of the people. We are the defenders of the people. Walter Cronkite once said, “Freedom of the press is not only important to democracy.” It’s democracy,” Acosta added.