CNN president Jeff Zucker promises his 2020 presidential election coverage will be different from 2016

The Washington Post

With CNN airing the Democratic presidential primary debate starting tonight, Zucker has acknowledged some mistakes in his network's 2016 election coverage, particularly with CNN's tendency to air Donald Trump's campaign rallies live and unedited. The changes include more than 20 town hall events this year for the Democratic presidential candidates. “We don’t want to be the one to say” who the leading candidates are, Zucker told The Washington Post. CNN also was criticized for airing The Draw lottery-type special for tonight and Wednesday's Democratic presidential debate, essentially turning the election into an entertainment event. The Draw was Zucker's idea. People attack CNN “because it matters,” Zucker said in defending The Draw. “We were the first cable news network, and I think that’s why CNN gets its fair share of acclaim and a fair share of criticism. And, you know, that’s okay. I mean, I’m totally comfortable with that. Purists who thought the draw took things to the extreme of the sports analogy, none of that criticism bothers me. We were fully transparent. None of the campaigns had an issue. The DNC didn’t have an issue. We loved it. It’s okay.” ALSO: CNN is doing the 2020 version of airing Trump's 2016 campaign rallies by airing the president's rants live and unfiltered from the White House lawn.