For regular viewers of CNN broadcaster Brooke Baldwin, they're facing the prospect of bidding
adieu to their beloved news commentator.
Baldwin, who has been with the news network for 13 years since joining in 2008, was best
known for hosting her eponymous show CNN Newsroom with Brooke Baldwin during her tenure.
Although Baldwin's last day is slated for April 16th, 2021, it seems that the broadcast
journalist is making a point to make her departure a memorable one - and isn't holding back from
criticizing her former employer for its lack of gender parity for those on its payroll.
As the New York Post reported on April 7th, 2021, Baldwin recently appeared as a guest
on the Ms. Magazine podcast earlier in the month.
During the discussion, Baldwin stated that, as of 2021, CNN's male hosts - among its most
prominent Anderson Cooper, Wolf Blitzer, and Jake Tapper - are paid disproportionately
more than their female counterparts and that the news outlet's executives and broadcasters
heavily skew male.
Baldwin claimed,
"The most influential anchors on our network, the highest-paid, are men.
My bosses, my executives, are men.
The person who oversees CNN Dayside is a man, and my executive producer for 10 years is
a man."
Then added that she had "been surrounded by a lot of men," during her time at CNN.
She did note in her Ms. Magazine podcast appearance that the atmosphere regarding women in the
newsroom at large is "getting better," she said that the industry, overall, "still [has]
a bit of a ways to go."
Baldwin then went on to recount the hard battle of getting the CNN series American Women signed
off by her employer and onto the screens of viewers.
Baldwin said on the podcast,
"I know I, personally, fight for women's stories."
Adding that she kept a promotional poster of the show hanging on her office wall.
She then recounted that during production for American Women, she,
"Got told no a lot and I still managed to do it."
Famously, Baldwin herself dealt with controversy while on the air in 2017, when sports radio
host Clay Travis commented that he believed in "the First Amendment and boobs," during
a discussion on the former.
Baldwin, who was serving as an anchor during the segment, proceeded to call Travis out
on the remark, noting that it appeared to be in poor taste - especially due to the fact
that he made a point to reiterate it again on a news show hosted by a woman.
She asked Travis incredulously before calling his behavior "entirely inappropriate."
"Why would you even say this live on national television and with a female host?"
While the male-dominated world of CNN made for an uncomfortable environment for Baldwin,
she did remain with the network for 13 years.
It's partly because of this familiarity that Baldwin chose to leave.
Baldwin told Yahoo in an interview on April 6th, 2021,
"The second you get really, really comfortable somewhere after a long period of time, it's
time to move on."
The anchor added that it was a piece of advice from her father that urged her into this decision.
She said that her dad would say to her "being uncomfortable is a great thing."
But this isn't necessarily easy.
Baldwin added that,
"It's hard to move on from something so comfortable."
While the decision could look like a curious one, Baldwin added:
"I could understand from the outside why it makes no sense for me to be leaving, but it
just - in my gut, I just know it's right.
I just have to go."
Her decision to leave CNN after calling out the network for being male-dominated has caused
a huge stir.
Radio host Jesse Kelly accused Baldwin on Twitter of "biting the hand."
He tweeted:
"[N]ever badmouth your employer/significant other on the way out the door.
The next potential one is watching."
While Kelly had one opinion, many others on Twitter praised Baldwin for speaking out.
Activist and author Amy Siskind tweeted:
"It's sure noticeable the only CNN has all men in the prime time 8-11 slots.
Glad Brooke spoke up on the way out."
Fans also had thoughts and many were really unhappy with Baldwin's decision to leave CNN.
One tweeted:
"I love CNN, but letting [Brooke Baldwin] go is a HUGE mistake!"
While Baldwin's decision is going to be a major change both for her and viewers, she
clearly has her sights set on new ventures.
In fact, her book, Huddle: How Women Unlock Their Collective Power, hit shelves on April
6th, 2021, and it has paved the way for her new direction.
When asked what was coming after CNN, Baldwin told People:
"I would love to be continuing off of my book work, just being in the deep end of storytelling."
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