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‘Is there a purge?’: John Harwood’s CNN exit viewed as strategy shift

The veteran White House correspondent’s parting words were a defense of an outspoken kind of journalism that CNN insiders think has fallen out of favor under a new boss

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Updated September 2, 2022 at 7:45 p.m. EDT|Published September 2, 2022 at 7:25 p.m. EDT
John Harwood, left, appears on NBC's “Meet the Press” in 2009. The veteran White House correspondent abruptly left his most recent job at CNN on Sept. 2. (Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images North America)
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CNN parted ways with veteran White House correspondent John Harwood on Friday in what network insiders viewed as the latest evidence of a shift to a less politically charged tone under new leader Chris Licht.

Harwood, who could not be reached for comment, appeared on CNN on Friday morning, reporting from the grounds of the White House. But at noon, he announced his departure on Twitter. He wrote that he is “proud of the work” he did at CNN and “[looks] forward to figuring out what’s next.”