Political analyst Chris Cillizza was perhaps the most well-known CNN correspondent to lose his job Thursday, as the cable news network executed on a plan announced a day earlier to lay off a sizable portion of its 4,000-plus member workforce.
The axing of Cillizza, a polarizing news figure for his staunch adherence to the traditional "both sides" reporting style, along with heavy cuts at CNN group channel HLN, were first reported by the Penske showbiz trade monopoly and confirmed by several other outlets.
Also read: CNN Lets Loose on Licht-Led Layoffs
According to these outlets, correspondents Alison Kosik, Martin Savidge, Alex Field and Mary Ann Fox also lost their jobs Thursday.
Meanwhile, cuts have been particularly focused on HLN, Variety reports, with the channel no longer producing live programs. HLN will now simulcast CNN This Morning in place of Morning Express.
The cuts are part of a larger austerity plan put in place by once-again-merged parent company Warner Bros. Discovery, which recently promised investors that it would expand "synergy" reductions from $3 billion to $3.5 billion. ■
