CNN got crushed in the cable ratings last week – coming in at No. 10 behind HGTV, Nick At Nite, the History Channel, and sports network ESPN, The Federalist reported.
Citing ratings from the week of June 26-July 2, CNN's viewership of its primetime shows was ranked significantly lower than Fox News and MSNBC, which placed first and second.
The ratings collapse comes amid the network's continuing feud with President Donald Trump – as well recent criticism for its going after an unidentified Reddit poster who created the GIF of Trump beating up on CNN, proactively suggesting it could dox him.
The Daily Beast reported Thursday that CNN host Chris Cuomo was confronted by Laura Loomer, a veteran of the controversial sting group Project Veritas over the GIF flap – and she then groused Cuomo "slammed the door of his fancy black service car on me" when she asked if he thinks memes are free speech.
Cuomo had already told The New York Times he was "comfortable going to work in Thunderdome every day."
Others at the network, not so much, The Daily Beast's Lloyd Grove wrote.
"Maybe the pugnacious Cuomo is comfortable, but others at the cable network are increasingly apprehensive about death threats and other harassing messages targeting on-air anchors and top executives being sent on social media and harassing phone calls," Grove wrote.
One unnamed CNN insider told Grove Trump's relentless targeting of the network is "obviously much more of a concerted campaign, with the president and his supporters trying to destroy a news organization."
"Everybody knew this was coming," the insider told Grove. "They’ll be trying to destroy other news organizations as well. It’s just our turn."