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A General's Dissent

Behind the scenes, Lt. General Mark Hertling (Ret.) made it clear to CNN brass why he did not wish to renew his deal with the network.

Author

Oliver Darcy
January 08, 2025

Lt. Gen. Mark Hertling (Ret.) on CNN. (Screen shot)

Late last month, in the quiet period between Christmas Day and New Year's Eve, Lt. General Mark Hertling (Ret.) announced on social media that he would be exiting CNN. After thousands of on-air hits for the network over the last decade, the respected military analyst informed his fans that he had declined to renew his contract.

For months, CNN had tried to persuade Hertling to sign a new deal. After all, he was one of the network's top voices on military matters and, with war in the Middle East and Ukraine, his voice had been instrumental in its live-rolling coverage. Shows would often call him during breaking news situations and he would quickly appear on the air, providing key context and analysis for viewers.

But Hertling had decided last year, as his contract end date loomed, that it was time to move on. And so, he notified the network in the fall that he would not be renewing. Hertling's exit announcement didn't attract much attention, partly because of its holiday timing and because he did not explain the driving force behind the decision. But, behind the scenes, I'm told by people familiar with the matter that…

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