CNN chief Mark Thompson reportedly directed the network’s journalists to scale back coverage of the White House East Wing demolition on Thursday, October 23, 2025—just one day after he attended a private meeting at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

The directive came during a daily network editorial call the morning after Thompson’s Wednesday visit to the White House, according to a Status newsletter report. Thompson suggested that CNN ease up on reporting about the controversial destruction of the historic 1902 structure, telling staff that viewers were not particularly interested in the story. Two people familiar with the matter confirmed the account to Status.

The East Wing was bulldozed the week of October 20, 2025, to make way for President Donald Trump’s projected $300 million vanity project—a 90,000-square-foot ballroom that will be more than twice the size of the rest of the White House. The demolition sparked widespread criticism, including from Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of Hillary and Bill Clinton, who stated Trump was taking a wrecking ball to American heritage, and Ronald Reagan’s daughter, Patti Davis, who called the destruction heartbreaking.

CNN staffers were reportedly taken aback by Thompson’s suggestion during the editorial call. Network journalists found the coverage guidance bizarre, particularly because Thompson, who serves as both chairman and CEO of CNN Worldwide as well as editor-in-chief, does not typically involve himself in daily editorial decisions. Some staff members were left wondering what coverage might be discouraged next.

Thompson’s White House visit ostensibly included promoting CNN’s new direct-to-consumer streaming product and sourcing potential Trump administration officials to appear on the network. A CNN spokesperson confirmed to the Daily Beast that Thompson was at the White House that week but insisted there was “zero truth to the conjecture in this column that was not fact checked before publication.”

Public sentiment on the White House refurbishment contradicted Thompson’s assessment of viewer interest. A YouGov America survey conducted that week showed 50 percent of respondents disapproved of the White House refurbishment, while 53 percent opposed the East Wing demolition. Only 24 percent of the 2,000 people polled approved of Trump’s ballroom designs.

The incident appears to fit a pattern of media executives accommodating the Trump administration. Warner Bros. Discovery, CNN’s parent company, announced it was up for sale the same week and said it had received multiple expressions of interest. Paramount Skydance, under new boss David Ellison, has been circling the network. Ellison is viewed as the only potential CNN buyer who would gain approval from the Trump administration’s broadcast regulators, with one adviser noting that it represents “the Trump card.”

Trump has regularly attacked CNN as fake news and recently called CNN Senior White House Correspondent Kristen Holmes one of the worst reporters before refusing to answer her question. He added that CNN is dying like a dog and claimed he could take anybody off the street in Washington to do a better job than the network’s evening anchors.

Thompson, a British media executive who previously served as director-general of the BBC and CEO of The New York Times, attempted to clarify CNN’s positioning in an earlier October interview with Mediaite. He indicated that CNN’s job is not to be in the center but rather to be out of the ring, focusing on fair-minded coverage across the political spectrum and recognizing that the best ideas may come from the political edges.

The strategically best positioning for CNN, Thompson stated, is that the network is actually a news service as opposed to an opinion and debate service masquerading as a news service. He compared Scott Jennings, CNN’s MAGA contributor, to D’Artagnan from The Three Musketeers, saying he’s got his sword out with about four Democrats against him but manages to spike them all off.

CNN is not the only major media firm involved in controversy over the teardown. Comcast, the parent company of NBC News, is one of the donors paying for the gaudy project. Its CEO, Brian Roberts, is also the hereditary owner of Versant, a new media group which includes MSNBC and CNBC.

This was not the first time Thompson issued guidance about Trump coverage. In January 2025, he convened a virtual editorial meeting with more than 100 journalists and top on-air talent, including Jake Tapper and Anderson Cooper, ahead of Trump’s inauguration. During that meeting, Thompson reportedly made clear he did not want the coverage to relitigate the past and asked staff to avoid pre-judging Trump or expressing any outrage of their own while focusing on the president’s second term.

The January directive instructed journalists to remain tough-minded while being fair-minded in their reporting. Virginia Moseley, CNN’s executive editor, remarked during a follow-up call that CNN was out of practice in dealing with Trump’s constant news cycle.