Mediaite Exclusive Interview: Mark Thompson on Saving CNN

Mediaite Exclusive Interview: Mark Thompson on Saving CNN — Full Transcript

Colby Hall Oct 9th, 2025, 9:44 am

(AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth, File)

Mark Thompson’s tenure at CNN has been quietly fascinating. Two years in, the British-born CEO remains something of an enigma—respected by staff, scrutinized by outsiders, and, by all accounts, remarkably calm in the eye of the storm.

CNN, like all legacy media, faces a rapidly shifting landscape: cord-cutting, social platforms siphoning attention, AI reshaping journalism, and the relentless competition for viewers’ trust. Yet Thompson approaches these pressures with the measured pragmatism and understated charm of a seasoned British schoolmaster—keeping a stiff upper lip, offering wry corrections when needed, and focusing on principle