Digital Veteran Jumps Ship From Washington Post to Join Mark Thompson’s CNN as Head of Digital

Photo by Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via AP

Alex MacCallum, a veteran news executive, is returning to CNN as the network’s executive vice president of digital products and services.

MacCallum previously worked for CNN for several years, serving as the global head of product and general manager of CNN+ before the network shut down the doomed subscription-based streaming service. She also worked on the restructuring of CNN’s website to improve its experience for visitors, but she left the network in mid-2022.

Mediaite obtained a CNN press release confirming MacCallum’s return on March 4 and saying her new role is “focused on overseeing and spearheading CNN’s suite of digital products that serve and engage millions of people globally every day.” Aside from acknowledging her previous stint with CNN, the press release noted MacCallum’s various roles with The New York Times, plus her most recent work overseeing subscriptions, partnerships, and advertising as chief revenue officer at The Washington Post.

MacCallum’s transition to CNN from the Post comes after a turbulent few years for the paper, which spent the last few months cutting jobs after a year of financial struggle.

Back in October, the Post sent out a notice offering voluntary buyouts to staff members in the hope of reducing their workforce by 240 employees. The decision was attributed to “overly optimistic” projections from recent years about the paper’s subscription, traffic, and advertising prospects, and it came after several previous rounds of layoffs.

Interim CEO Patty Stonesifer said that the Post met its downsizing goal in mid-December, about two weeks after the paper’s staff went on strike over the layoffs and stalled union contract negotiations.