Piers Morgan laughs off Daily Star story that CNN has put his new show on hold : 'Completely invented'
The arrows fly thick and fast across the Atlantic for the ex-Mirror editor. Is he coming back from LA to answer questions? The answer is still no as his boss defends him.
The claim came as Sir Paul McCartney commented in the US on his ex-wife Heather's claim that her phone had been backed by an unnamed Mirror Group journalist (not Morgan ).
According to 'The Daily Star' worried CNN executives had put Piers's new show on hold as "the hacking net threatens to close around the former tabloid newspaper editor."
Piers tweeted, “Congratulations to the Daily Star on their completely invented front page story about me. Pure 100% celestial fabrication. Made me chuckle. "
The report said the news-based programme was planned to run in tandem with his nightly CNN chat show, 'Piers Morgan Tonight,' and was part of the deal he signed back in September 2010 when he took over from Larry King. The paper quoted an anonymous CNN insider as saying "It is felt best to put the new show on hold at least until things settle down."
Meantime CNN's top man came out firmly in defence of Morgan.
CEO Ken Jautz, who took over the network after the Brit was announced as Larry King's replacement last September, said of the current controversy : "Morgan has been entirely consistent in his public statements and very firm in his denials and we do not believe there's any impact on the show."
Jautz told Adweek, "We were very familiar with his background and several people talked to him about [his tabloid background]"
Jautz also talked of Morgan’s consistent defence of the Murdoch family:
“These are his opinions based on his experiences with them. And he has his own opinions,” said Jautz. He said he was comfortable with some on-air talent at CNN expressing opinion “so long as its based on their own experience, on their reporting, on fact and not on ideology.” The UK website News Media Images, written by Michael Wheeler, said yesterday , "CNN might think Piers Morgan is the sound bite hotty of the moment but I think he’d still hack your baby monitor if he thought it would get him covered in glitter at the UK press awards. "Actually, CNN are having second thoughts about Piers and the £5m a year they are paying him." He then repeats the Daily Star claim "according to sources stateside" that executives at CNN had put a hold on Pier’s new news-based show. A number of American journalists have pointed to the lack of evidence linking Morgan to any of the allegations.