CNN has laid off a handful of staffers from its health-journalism unit after deciding to place its health, climate and Southeastern newsgathering operations under a single aegis.
” As part of the normal course of business, our newsgathering team made a small restructure earlier this week that ultimately impacts 6-7 employees within CNN’s Health Unit,” CNN said in a statement. The layoffs were disclosed previously in a report by TVNewser. The restructuring of those news operations had been in the planning stages for some time. Affected employees are believed to have been notified earlier this week.
The AT&T-owned news division recently offered buyouts to more than 100 staffers. AT&T, which purchased CNN as part of its acquisition of Time Warner last year, has been working to shed as much as $170 million in debt. Buyouts have been offered at other parts of WarnerMedia, which also includes HBO.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta and Elizabeth Cohen, who frequently appear on air to report on health and wellness topics, were not affected by the buyout.