CNN Stuns With Its New Hire

Sarah Isgur was DOJ rep, accomplished political operative, has no journalism experience
By Newser Editors,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 20, 2019 8:52 AM CST
CNN Stuns With Its New Hire
In this March 23, 2007, file photo, Harvard Law School student, Sarah Isgur, poses at her desk at the Romney for President headquarters in Boston.   (AP Photo/Elise Amendola, File)

CNN has made a new hire, and the move is making all kinds of waves. Sarah Isgur was most recently employed by the Justice Department as Jeff Sessions' spokeswoman; beginning in March, she'll be a new political editor for CNN and help coordinate its 2020 election coverage. The move is said to be causing some major hand-wringing within CNN itself. We dive in:

  • Bloomberg reports that while other former Trump administration officials have come on board at CNN as analysts, Isgur's place in the newsroom makes her a far less typical hire.
  • Adding to that "less typical" label: Per her LinkedIn profile, she has no journalism background, but a long history as a Republican political operative. Among her past gigs: working as Carly Fiorina's deputy campaign manager during her presidential run. She has also worked for Mitt Romney during his bid for president, on a Ted Cruz Senate campaign, and for the Republican National Committee.

  • CNN's Brian Stelter has heard from concerned CNN employees (as well as supportive execs) who are seeking clarity on her role and questioning the speed of the transition. He writes, "While there is a long history of political aides moving into the media and vice versa"—consider George Stephanopolous and Tim Russert—"this is an abnormally fast spin of the so-called 'revolving door.' And it's even more unusual because Isgur is moving directly into a managerial role."
  • Fueling the fire: Politico broke the news Tuesday, and CNN staffers are bugged they didn't hear about it first from their employer. Many are also unsure what exactly Isgur will be doing, though it was made clear that she won't have any role in DOJ coverage. What Stelter knows: She'll be one of a number of political editors who coordinate coverage. "This entails managing teams in the field, making decisions about how to frame the day's biggest campaign stories, etcetera."
  • He quotes one unnamed reporter's concern: "I'm really, really ... concerned about the ethical implications of taking direction on stories from someone I covered when she was an operative in 2016 and who pledged loyalty to one of the candidates in the 2020 race."
  • In breaking the news, Politico notes Isgur's last job had some friction at the start as well: "Isgur joined the administration in 2017 after overcoming resistance from the president, who balked at bringing on a political operative who had trashed him on the campaign trail."

  • At GQ, Jay Willis sees the move as a calculated one that won't work: "Desperate stunts like this one are designed to push back against the prevailing right-wing narrative that CNN—or NBC, or CBS, or whichever outlet broke the latest unflattering story about the White House—is hopelessly biased against Trump and/or Republicans and/or conservatism in general. ... The error here is believing that any of these counter-arguments is coming from a place of good faith, or that hiring the likes of Isgur will somehow fortify them from attacks against the free press."
  • Freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez offered her two cents on Twitter, with a reference to recent layoffs at HuffPost and BuzzFeed: "Sorry, didn’t get the latest memo after 1,000 experienced + qualified journalists of all stripes were let go w/o warning a few weeks ago and still looking for work: are we still pretending that hires like these are evidence of a meritocracy?"
  • Vox got this comment from CNN: "Just wanted to be super clear—Sarah is not leading, overseeing, or running political coverage. She is helping to coordinate coverage across TV and Digital—she is one of several editors."
  • Vox goes on to assert that Isgur's inappropriateness for the role is supported by past tweets she's made that promote "false claims and conspiracies" about Democrats. It provides what it considers to be examples of that here.
  • Townhall praises the move and tells CNN staffers to simmer down: "No, CNN isn’t going to become a media wing of the RNC. Please, if you think that as a CNN staffer, you’re on heroin. There might be a different flare, angle, or delivery when Isgur enters her new role, but it will be a refreshing departure from the usual hysteria that’s featured on the network on a near-daily basis. So, congratulations to Ms. Isgur. Tear it up in there."
(More CNN stories.)

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