Brooke Baldwin Just Claimed This About CNN
For regular viewers of CNN broadcaster Brooke Baldwin, they're facing the sad prospect of bidding adieu to their beloved news commentator. Baldwin, who has been with the news network for 13 years since joining in 2008, was best known for hosting her eponymous show CNN Newsroom with Brooke Baldwin during her tenure. Although Baldwin's last day is slated for April 16, 2021, it seems that the broadcast journalist is making a point to make her departure a memorable one — and isn't holding back from criticizing her former employer for its lack of gender parity for those on its payroll.
As the New York Post reported on April 7, 2021, Baldwin recently appeared as a guest on the Ms. Magazine podcast earlier in the month. During the discussion, Baldwin stated that, as of 2021, CNN's male hosts — among its most prominent Anderson Cooper, Wolf Blitzer, and Jake Tapper — are paid disproportionately more than their female counterparts and that the news outlet's executives and broadcasters heavily skew male. "The most influential anchors on our network, the highest-paid, are men," Baldwin claimed. "My bosses, my executives, are men. The person who oversees CNN Dayside is a man, and my executive producer for 10 years is a man," then added that she had "been surrounded by a lot of men," during her time at CNN.
So what else did Baldwin have to say on the matter? Read on to find out.
Brooke Baldwin decried CNN's purported gender disparity problem
While Brooke Baldwin said in her Ms. Magazine podcast appearance (via the New York Post) that the atmosphere regarding women in the newsroom at large is "getting better," she said that the industry, overall, "still [has] a bit of a ways to go." Baldwin then went on to recount the hard battle of getting the CNN series American Women signed off by her employer and onto the screens of viewers. "I know I, personally, fight for women's stories," Baldwin said on the podcast, adding that she kept a promotional poster of the show hanging on her office wall. She then recounted that during production for American Women, she "got told no a lot and I still managed to do it."
Notably, Baldwin herself dealt with sexism while on the air in 2017, when conservative pundit Clay Travis commented (via Variety) that he believed in "the First Amendment and boobs," during a discussion on the former. Baldwin, who was serving as an anchor during the segment, proceeded to call Travis out on the remark, noting that it appeared to be in poor taste — especially due to the fact that he made a point to reiterate it again on a news show hosted by a woman. "Why would you even say this live on national television and with a female host?" she asked Travis incredulously before calling his behavior "entirely inappropriate."
Brooke Baldwin says her dad encouraged her decision
While the male-dominated world of CNN made for an uncomfortable environment for Brooke Baldwin, she had also been with the network for 13 years, according to USA Today. It's partly because of this familiarity that Baldwin chose to leave. "The second you get really, really comfortable somewhere after a long period of time, it's time to move on," Baldwin told Yahoo in an interview on April 6, 2021.
The anchor added that it was a piece of advice from her father that urged her into this decision. She said that her dad would say to her "being uncomfortable is a great thing." But this isn't necessarily easy. Baldwin added that "it's hard to move on from something so comfortable."
While the decision could look like a curious one, Baldwin added: "I could understand from the outside why it makes no sense for me to be leaving, but it just — in my gut, I just know it's right. I just have to go." Baldwin's decision is making big waves, though. Here's what people have to say about it.
Twitter has mixed reactions to Brooke Baldwin's words about CNN
Brooke Baldwin's decision to leave CNN after calling out the network for being male-dominated has caused a huge stir. Radio host Jesse Kelly accused Baldwin on Twitter of "biting the hand." He tweeted: "[N]ever badmouth your employer/significant other on the way out the door. The next potential one is watching."
While Kelly had one opinion, many others on Twitter praised Baldwin for speaking out. Activist and author Amy Siskind tweeted: "It's sure noticeable the only CNN has all men in the prime time 8-11 slots. Glad Brooke spoke up on the way out." Fans also had thoughts and many were really unhappy with Baldwin's decision to leave CNN. One tweeted: "I love CNN, but letting [Brooke Baldwin] go is a HUGE mistake!"
While Baldwin's decision is going to be a major change both for her and viewers, she clearly has her sights set on new ventures. In fact, her book, Huddle: How Women Unlock Their Collective Power, hit shelves on April 6, 2021, and it has paved the way for her new direction. When asked what was coming after CNN, Baldwin told People: "I would love to be continuing off of my book work, just being in the deep end of storytelling."