I am fairly certain it was not a hoax but real.
The political position and hostile/passive-aggressive tone of the anonymous male CNN representative/whatever is exactly what we might reasonably expect from CNN, trying to invoke First Amendment rights as the Fourth Estate... a complex argument, if deliberate.
I consider CNN guilty until proven innocent on this.
If it is NOT a hoax:
Do we really KNOW anybody was fired?
Do we really KNOW it was a a switchboard operator on that call?
CNN SAYS an anonymous head rolled. Riiiiiiiiight.
Of course we don't know if they fired anybody. It's that they ADMITTED the tape is legit!!!
I'd rather find out who runs the site "Daily Pundit". Is it a Freeper?
And I assume the story is a hoax. There is absolutely no reason to think it's true anyway.