New CNN Chairman and CEO Chris Licht reportedly told company management during a Tuesday conference call that staff should avoid using the Democratic Party's "the Big Lie" term, according to Mediaite.
The phrase has been used frequently by Democrats in reference to former President Donald Trump’s claims about voter fraud during the 2020 election.
A source informed the outlet on Wednesday that Licht believes using the term weakens people's views of the network's objectivity and instead recommended using "Trump election lie" or "election lies" in banners and graphics.
CNN has used the phrase considerably even past the initial aftermath of the tumultuous 2020 election. According to TVEyes, the network has used "the Big Lie" 168 times this past month.
The term is notably a favorite of "Reliable Sources" host Brian Stelter, who, as recently as March, invoked "the Big Lie" amid the network's coverage of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
"Concerns of the vulnerability of the U.S. political system have taken a backseat to daily coverage of the war in Ukraine," Stelter said in a March 27 monologue. "But the domestic dangers are still clear. Reporters keep exposing evidence of Donald Trump's 'Big Lie' and the powerful people who advanced it."
"The Big Lie" has seen renewed interest as the one-sided hearings of the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot continue. Chair of the panel, Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., invoked the idea in his opening remarks for Monday's hearing.
"This morning, we'll tell the story of how Donald Trump lost an election and knew he lost an election and, as a result of his loss, decided to wage an attack on our democracy," Thompson said.
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