CNN moves to eliminate its Race and Equality team

CNN reportedly dismantled its Race and Equality team as the network moves to restructure its operations. This comes after CNN's new CEO Mark Thompson announced a complete network overhaul on Wednesday, which will include mass layoffs.

A source told journalist Philip Lewis of the Huffington Post that one reporter on the Race and Equality team has been laid off, and the other two have been reassigned to different newsrooms. The Race and Equality team, which consisted of three writers, was created in 2020 by former CNN president Jeff Zucker during the height of the infamous Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests.

Zucker announced the team during that time as a "significant, sustained commitment to ensure race coverage is a permanent part of our journalism."

A spokesperson confirmed that the Race and Equality team has been disbanded, but contended that their work will be brought into other types of the network's programming. The reporters' expertise will be utilized in a collaborative effort rather than within an "organizational silo," they said.

"The investment is still 100 percent there," said the spokesman, as per the journalist. "For all intents and purposes, the team is not a team anymore. They're assigned to different areas so that their perspective and work is brought into all of our types of programming. It's not a unit in the way it was before, but Race and Equality is very much still their focus."

CNN chief Mark Thompson issued a memo to staff on Wednesday regarding moves being made to the company to ensure a lasting product. He said there would be at least 100 layoffs as the network restructures, which is equivalent to about 3 percent of its workforce. Additionally, Thompson plans to experiment with artificial intelligence and completely shift to a digital model.