WASHINGTON, DC - Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) Chair Marcia L. Fudge released the following statement on the impact large scale staff reductions at Time Warner Inc. will have on African American representation at CNN:

“News that Time Warner Inc. recently began large scale staff reductions is troubling.  Particularly concerning are reports that these layoffs have significantly reduced the number of African Americans in senior and executive roles in the company's flagship news organization, CNN.

“In a nation growing increasingly more diverse, it is imperative that the organizations tasked with keeping us informed reflect the same diversity.  Ethnic sensitivity both on-camera and behind it demonstrates a corporate understanding of the benefits of diversity, and a genuine respect for the audiences' needs.

"Any staffing changes that disproportionately cut the number of African Americans at CNN - intentionally or otherwise - are an affront to the African American journalism community and to the African American community as a whole.  It is my sincere hope that these reports are not true, and that Time Warner Inc. works to ensure that the diversity of its viewers across the country, and the world, is reflected and protected in all areas of its organization."

UPDATE: A previous version of this press release said that Time Warner Cable was responsible for the layoffs affecting CNN. This is incorrect. CNN is owned by a subsidiary of Time Warner Inc., not Time Warner Cable.  

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