CNN’s new chief Chris Licht has reportedly ordered all staff to stop using the phrase ‘the big lie’ to describe former President Donald Trump’s 2020 election fraud claims, calling it a Democrat slogan.
According to Mediaite, the phrase was spoken 168 times in the first half of June alone, one of the network’s most popular phrases regarding Trump.
Brian Stelter and other network anchors use it prominently in graphic packages and chyrons in stories related to January 6 and the ongoing hearings.
Licht has requested Stelter and other journalists cease using the term in production. He has reportedly suggested “Trump’s election lie” or simply “election lie” as possible replacements.
The requested change comes in tandem with his request to curb the use of “BREAKING NEWS” graphics on so many of the network’s stories. Licht has said the network’s overuse of the term was melodramatic and diluted the impact of big stories when they did break.
According to Daily Mail, Licht believes the specific phrasing of “the big lie” is a reference to Hitler’s Nazi propaganda efforts during the Third Reich. As a result, he is not in agreement with using it as a Democratic Party talking point.
Marking his first month as the network’s chief executive, Licht informed staffers in a company-wide memo that the channel must follow new guidelines for truly breaking new stories.
“Something I have heard from people both inside and outside the organization is complaints we overuse the ‘Breaking News’ banner,” Licht said in the memo. The memo was first reported by The New York Times.
“I agree. It has become such a fixture on every channel and network that its impact has become lost on the audience,” said Licht.