CNN Anchor Jim Acosta Announces Departure From Network

Former CNN chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta returns to the White House after Federal judge Timothy J. Kelly ordered the White House to reinstate his press pass in Washington on Nov. 16, 2018. Alex Wong/Getty Images

CNN anchor Jim Acosta has announced his departure from the network, saying he decided to walk away rather than accept a proposal for an alternative time slot and issuing a final parting message about the journalistic imperative to hold power to account.

Acosta, a former White House correspondent at CNN, made the announcement on-air during his morning show on Jan. 28, indicating he would continue working in the field of journalism but otherwise offering no details about his future plans.

“You may have seen some reports about me and this show and after giving all of this some careful consideration, and weighing an alternative time slot CNN offered me, I have decided to move on,” Acosta said at the end of his morning show on Tuesday.

Earlier in January, Acosta was reportedly offered a graveyard shift as part of a planned shakeup of the network’s lineup, according to former CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy, who left the network last year to start a news site dedicated to covering the U.S. media industry.

Several days ago, CNN announced it is planning to lay off around 200 staff as part of a restructuring effort that will also see Wolf Blitzer’s “Situation Room” replace Acosta’s morning slot.

Acosta frequently clashed with President Donald Trump and his staff during press briefings in Trump’s first term, including a notable episode that led to the temporary suspension of his White House press pass. The incident involved Acosta refusing to give up the microphone to a female White House aide and pushing her hand away during a press conference in November 2018.

Trump, who had criticized Acosta over the incident that led to the revocation of the pass, celebrated news of his imminent departure from CNN in a post on social media. “Wow, really good news!” Trump wrote, while making disparaging remarks about Acosta’s character and questioning his integrity as a journalist.

During his departure announcement, Acosta remarked briefly on his time covering Trump before turning his attention to the broader issue of journalistic mission and hinting that he plans to continue working in the field.

“People often ask me if the highlight of my time here at CNN was at the White House covering Donald Trump,” he said. “Actually, no. That moment came when I covered former President Barack Obama’s trip to Cuba in 2016 and had the chance to question the dictator there, Raul Castro, about the island’s political prisoners.”

“As the son of a Cuban refugee, I took home this lesson. It is never a good time to bow down to a tyrant,” Acosta continued. “I have always believed it’s the job of the press to hold power to account. I have always tried to do that here at CNN and I plan on doing all of that in the future.”

Acosta then delivered a final message to cap his last show at CNN.

“One final message–don’t give into the lies,” he said. “Don’t give into the fear. Hold onto the truth, and to hope. Even if you have to get out your phone, record that message. I will not give into the lies. I will not give into the fear. Post it on your social media, so people can hear from you, too.”

Acosta’s message about resisting falsehood appeared aligned with the thrust of his memoir of his coverage of Trump’s first term, titled “The Enemy of The People: A Dangerous Time to Tell the Truth in America,” in which he criticized fellow journalists for avoiding hard-hitting truths in their coverage of those in power in exchange for favors like access and scoops.

A CNN spokesperson confirmed to The Epoch Times that Tuesday’s show was Acosta’s last at the network.

“Jim has had a long, distinguished nearly 20-year career at CNN, with a track record of standing up to authority, for the first amendment and for our journalistic freedoms,” the spokesperson said. “We want to thank him for the dedication and commitment he’s brought to his reporting and wish him the very best in the future.”

Acosta’s departure comes amid a broader staffing shakeup at CNN that involves a shift away from the company’s television business towards its digital offerings, including a series of subscription products.