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The Thompson Manifesto: A Sequel

As a follow-up to his original dissertation on the challenges facing CNN, Mark Thompson recently outlined a vague, pablum-filled vision of the network-cum-news-organization’s future. But is it so opaque because Thompson’s vision remains hazy, or because he doesn’t want to say the hard part out loud?

mark thompson
It’s clear that the CNN veterans who once welcomed Thompson as a post-Licht savior have grown restless again—and not just restless, but anxious and angry. Photo: Brad Barket/Getty Images
Dylan Byers
March 1, 2024

This afternoon, CNN chairman and C.E.O. Mark Thompson sent his employees a progress report regarding his evolving vision for the network-cum-news-organization’s new, post-linear, multiplatform business strategy. This latest installment came some seven weeks after his initial, long-awaited manifesto, which disappointingly diagnosed some rather obvious maladies about the state of the business—to wit: that people consume news on their phones not their televisions, etcetera. This time around, Thompson “established five projects to design and implement change at CNN,” from building a new digital infrastructure and globally integrated workflow to “future-proofing TV production” and “developing new sources of revenue.” Once again, Thompson was diagnosing the right problems and asking the right questions, but his solutions were hidden within the corporate pablum.