There’s no question: Ted Turner was an icon who fundamentally reshaped how Americans consume news.
His passing, announced by Turner Enterprises on May 6, offers the media industry and news consumers alike a chance to mourn, reflect on his life and reconsider the industry he built – along with its influence on the world, for better and for worse.
Turner's life is that of a storied legend. He was once married to movie star Jane Fonda, owned the Atlanta Braves and became the second-largest individual landowner in North America. He leaves behind five children, 14 grandchildren, two great-grandchildren and a $2.5 billion fortune. If Turner wasn’t the epitome of a free-market capitalist, it’s hard to imagine who was.
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But as a journalist, his most consequential decision as a businessman and entrepreneur was launching Cable News Network, or CNN, in 1980 – a singular idea that permanently transformed news, audiences and media consumption.
Without CNN, there's no Fox News
It’s hard to overstate the impact a 24-hour news network has had on how America, and the world, consumes information.
“He was and always will be the presiding spirit of CNN. Ted is the giant on whose shoulders we stand,” Mark Thompson, chairman and CEO of CNN Worldwide, said in a statement.
One giant who stood on Turner’s shoulders, if only to compete with and perhaps ultimately surpass him, was Rupert Murdoch, who launched Fox News Channel in 1996. Turner was widely seen as more politically liberal; Murdoch, more conservative. Their rivalry was open and fierce. Turner once said that he was “looking forward to squishing Rupert like a bug.”
No doubt, that rivalry helped drive Murdoch to Fox News’ enormous success. According to Fox News, it has been America’s top-rated cable news network for 24 consecutive years. About 4 in 10 Americans get their news from Fox, and it consistently tops its competitors.
In a May 6 statement, Murdoch honored Turner as a “great American,” saying, “Ted Turner’s vision for 24-hour cable news transformed the media industry and gave viewers everywhere a front seat to witness history unfold.”
There likely would be no Fox News without Ted Turner. Conservatives, Fox’s core audience, have Murdoch – and perhaps his rivalry with Turner – to thank for that. CNN and similar 24-hour cable news networks are now ubiquitous in airports, hotels, restaurants and homes. But the model Turner pioneered, once seen as groundbreaking and practical, has also fueled an endless cycle of controversy, conflict and negativity.
24/7 news is a double-edged sword
CNN created a news model that countless cable networks later copied with enormous success. Journalists, commentators, investigative reporters and even today’s digital media creators all operate in an ecosystem Turner helped build by fundamentally changing how consumers digest news.
But it’s also possible to admire Turner as an innovator while lamenting what his model has become.
The relentless demand for 24/7 content helped create media outlets that increasingly lean into partisanship. Fox News is one prominent example, but hardly the only one. Even Turner himself expressed concern over CNN’s evolution.
In a 2018 interview, Turner said CNN focused “too much” on politics and should pursue “a more balanced agenda.”
That’s not all. I’m a news junkie, and I’m grateful to work in an industry I genuinely enjoy. But at the risk of biting the hand that feeds me, nonstop news consumption simply isn’t healthy for most Americans.
A 2022 study by the American Psychological Association found psychologists were seeing rising levels of news-related stress. Media overload can take a real toll on mental health. According to a 2024 AP/NORC poll, 65% of adults across party lines say they feel the need to limit their consumption of political and government news.
Data also suggests that negativity drives online news consumption, and that constant exposure to bad news can trigger anxiety and stress. I’ve even wondered whether the rise of social media – now used almost constantly by some generations – would exist without a television news model that came before it.
As the 2020 documentary "The Social Dilemma" explored, social media was initially designed to foster connection and self-expression; its downsides were unseen, unknown or seemed inconsequential compared with its promise.
The same could be said of 24/7 cable news. Americans deserve access to a free press; it’s a fundamental right. But like many powerful innovations, CNN came with trade-offs.
Turner will rightly be remembered as a media titan who transformed journalism forever. But I hope his legacy also spurs continued reflection on how the nonstop news cycle he pioneered continues to shape our attention, emotions and understanding of the world.
Nicole Russell is an opinion columnist with USA TODAY. She lives in Texas with her four kids. Sign up for her newsletter, The Right Track, and get it delivered to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ted Turner changed news. America is paying the price. | Opinion
