Brooke Baldwin calls out gender pay gap at CNN amid departure

Baldwin is leaving the network in mid-April after 13 years

CNN anchor Brooke Baldwin has addressed the gender pay gap at the company while preparing to depart from her role.

The correspondent, who has worked at the news network for 13 years, spoke candidly about the amount she makes in comparison to her male coworkers during an appearance on the Ms Magazine podcast On The Issues With Michele Goodwin.

“So, I’ve been anchoring for 10-plus years, the majority of that time two hours in the afternoon, and in that time, you know, the most influential anchors on our network, the highest-paid, are men,” Baldwin said. “My bosses, my executives are men. The person who oversees CNN Dayside is a man, and my executive producer for 10 years is a man. 

During the conversation, Baldwin also acknowledged that the landscape of journalism is changing, but that when she first started, she was “surrounded by a lot of dudes”.

“I have been surrounded by a lot of men, and I do think it is changing,” she continued. “I know it is changing just by looking at some of the faces that are popping up more and more on our channel and on other channels ... but oftentimes, especially early on ... I was surrounded by a lot of dudes.”

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According to Celebrity Net Worth, Baldwin makes an estimated salary of $4m a year at CNN and has a net worth of $10m.

Baldwin, who anchors the afternoon segment of CNN Newsroom, also reflected on the importance of expanding the roles in journalism to incorporate women other than white women, explaining on the podcast that “there is no way we will have progress if a bunch of white women are winning, right? There’s no way”.

“So, it’s brown women, Black women, Asian women. It’s across the board. It’s we have to see them reflected in our stories, and it’s getting better, but we still have a bit of a ways to go, I think,” she said.

Baldwin announced her imminent departure from CNN in February, telling viewers at the time: “The next chapter of life will be focused on what I love the most about my work, amplifying the lives of extraordinary Americans and putting my passion for storytelling to good use.”

According to Baldwin, she plans to focus more on her favourite interviews, with what she calls “extraordinary ordinary women”.

“It’s amazing to talk to celebrities, but I really admire ordinary women in extraordinary circumstances, and so, I would love to somehow dive into the deep end of storytelling,” she said.

The Independent has contacted CNN for comment.