CNN Executive Was Ousted After Discussing Interview Topics With Governor
The New York Times
An internal investigation found that a top executive, Allison Gollust, had extensive communications with then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo.
On a Saturday in March 2020, as Covid-19 was invading the United States, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo went on CNN for a live interview. Among other topics, he was asked about a possible government-enforced quarantine of New York that had been floated by President Donald J. Trump.
It was a newsworthy topic, but its path onto viewers’ screens would turn out to be controversial — and highly consequential for the future of one of the world’s most powerful news networks.
Before the interview, Governor Cuomo had told a senior CNN executive, Allison Gollust, about subjects that he’d like to be asked about on air, according to several people familiar with the matter. Ms. Gollust, CNN’s longtime chief of communications and marketing and a former top aide of the governor, passed along the topics to CNN producers and then reported back to the governor.
