Good morning, Broadsheet readers! Budweiser deals with backlash to its advertising, senior women trust their employers less than their male peers do, and cable news has a day of reckoning. Have a terrific Tuesday.
- Dropping anchor. If you turn on cable news today, your usual programming—no matter your viewing habits—might look a little different. Yesterday, anchor Don Lemon was ousted from CNN and Tucker Carlson was terminated as a Fox News host. While those major stories swirled, more details emerged about the firing of NBCUniversal CEO Jeff Shell.
The three stories all have their own intricacies, but a common thread is the alleged mistreatment of women at major networks. Don Lemon's firing after 17 years at CNN comes weeks after he referred to GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley, 51, as "past her prime" on air; the incident reportedly lost Lemon a lot of goodwill with CNN colleagues who viewed the comment as sexist and ageist. (Lemon later apologized for the "inartful and irrelevant" remark.) Variety has reported on Lemon's alleged history of open hostility toward women, including his own guests and colleagues. (Lemon denied claims he mistreated coworkers behind the scenes.) His popularity with audiences had simultaneously fallen, making his continued employment "untenable," the New York Times reported. Lemon said in a statement that he was "stunned" by the decision and that there "are larger issues at play."
