Ted Turner, the man who built what can only be described as the imperialism of satellite broadcasting through CNN, has died. He was the first to turn news into a 24‑hour live stream, transforming television from a medium of entertainment into a global news platform.

CNN’s CEO Mark Thompson described Turner as “bold, fearless, and always willing to trust his own judgment.”

But celebrating Turner’s unwavering trust in his own instincts clashes with the spirit envisioned by the American Founding Fathers—men who preferred a nation without a government to a nation without a free press.

CNN still posts operating profits, yet they are nearly half a billion dollars below its last peak. The era of the 1990s—when CNN stood alone as the singular source of breaking news—has vanished. Audiences once waited for news and nothing else; Turner’s network made news the star of the screen.

As CNN prepared to bid farewell to its founder, it was simultaneously plunged into an identity crisis triggered by Christiane Amanpour’s unusually sharp criticism of billionaire David Ellison—close to Donald Trump and Republican hardliners—who acquired the network with the intention, she warned, of turning it into a pro‑Trump channel.

“I’m clearly concerned,” she said. “I’m not sure how much I’m allowed to say about what’s happening inside his company, but as a person and as a journalist with a long record, yes, I’m worried. And my concern comes from what has already happened—to CBS News, for example.”

She added: “Should I list what’s going on there? The hemorrhaging of viewers, perhaps money, the ideological re‑engineering of CBS, and the potential destruction of 60 Minutes.”

For 44 years, CNN’s imperial model........

© Middle East Monitor