Former Reporter Suing CNN Over Discrimination Allegations

Facts

• Saima Mohsin, a British-Pakistani former CNN reporter, revealed Monday via Twitter that she is suing the network over discrimination she says led to her firing after she was injured while on assignment in the Middle East.¹
• In 2014, Mohsin was injured when a cameraman ran over her foot with a car. She claims her requests for alternative duties and rehabilitation support from CNN while she was recovering were rejected.²
• She also posted about her injury on her LinkedIn page, writing that she lives with "pain all down my left side and am constantly exhausted which is an extreme opposite of what you see on screen."¹
• She also claims she requested to become a presenter so she could travel less, but she was allegedly told she didn’t have the company's desired appearance. She was fired three years later.²
• While claiming CNN subjected her to racial and disability discrimination, Mohsin also alleges managers gave preferential treatment to white, American correspondents, even when she was in the field. CNN claims Mohsin can’t sue the company in London based on the terms of her contract.³

Sources: ¹FOX News, ²Mint, and ³New York Post.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Guardian. CNN knows it has done something unsavory, as evidenced by its attempt to get this case thrown out based on territorial grounds. But it probably won’t be able to avoid Mohsin’s suit any more than it can shake the effects of other recent scandals — including those involving its past two bosses — and declining ratings. CNN is in trouble.
• Narrative B, as provided by New York Times. CNN has certainly faced some challenges in recent months, but it’s getting its act together by picking the right people to manage the network and finding the right talent to fill its most important time slots. CNN also has a plan to generate revenue that will keep it thriving for the foreseeable future. This media juggernaut will be able to weather the storm.