I wouldn’t attach much if any significance to CNN. They have long since given up on reporting news in favor of making up politically correct stories and catering to the “cancel culture” mob. The mere fact the one watches CNN for news suggests an inability to distinguish fiction from reality.
If anything he was fairly left-wing. His works show a strong opposition to anti-Semitism and racism, and he was unusually willing to include non-European looking people at a time when “all white” was the standard, and discussing racism and anti-Semitism was liable to get you blacklisted.