Even before he took over CNN, network CEO Chris Licht was promising big changes to come for the struggling “news” organization, with one of them being a thorough review of their reporters and anchors to determine whether or not they came across as more partisan than impartial in their reporting.
He wasn’t the only one. In April, CNN parent company Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav said that CNN should stick to actual reporting more than slanted coverage. “If we get that, we can have a civilized society,” Zaslav stated in an interview with Oprah Winfrey. “And without it, if it all becomes advocacy, we don’t have a civilized society.”
In June, the evaluation of staff members for partisan leanings began, with “journalist” Jim Acosta and “Reliable Sources” host Brian Stelter among those who were reportedly being closely watched “to see if they can comport w new style — no interviews that look like stunts.”
In Stelter’s case, it appears the evaluation is over, as he told NPR in statement Thursday that Reliable Sources is being axed, and that he will also be “departing”:
CNN is canceling its Sunday media affairs show Reliable Sources, and host Brian Stelter is departing the network, Stelter tells NPR.
In a statement to NPR, Stelter says he’s grateful for the show and his team’s examination of “the media, truth and the stories that shape our world.”
“It was a rare privilege to lead a weekly show focused on the press at a time when it has never been more consequential,” Stelter said, promising to say more on Sunday’s show — its final episode.
Deadline reported that Stelter’s last show will be August 21st as confirmed via CNN in a statement:
“CNN will end its Reliable Sources program on Sunday, August 21st. As a result Brian Stelter will leave the company. We appreciate his contributions to the network and wish him well as he embarks on new endeavors.”
Stelter’s ousting comes at a time of continued turmoil for CNN as their ratings continue their post-Trump era freefall and as the network is still licking its wounds after embarrassingly having to shut down their CNN+ paid subscriber streaming service in April almost as soon as it started.
Stelter, along with his sidekick Oliver Darcy, has long been viewed as one of the most biased commentators at CNN with their bizarre obsession with Fox News, their constant pushing of bogus conspiracy theories about Trump, and their frequent fawning over Joe Biden’s comms staff and fraudster Michael Avenatti. So among CNN’s critics, he will definitely not be missed. Where he will wind up is anyone’s guess, although Media Matters would be a good guess considering how frequently he referenced them in his “reporting” and had their representatives on as authoritative guests.
That said, Greg Gutfled, who with his Fox News program has been crushing the late night competition, slid in with an offer of sorts for Stelter in response to the news:
Yo @brianstelter – my show is hiring.
— GregGutfeld (@greggutfeld) August 18, 2022
Considering how much Stelter hates Fox News and believed ’til the bitter end CNN would come out on top in that battle, I’d say Gutfeld’s tweet put the “ow” in “ouch” for the media’s most notorious hall monitor.
Flashback: CNN’s Brian Stelter Gets Wrecked by Student During ‘Disinformation Conference’ in Glorious Moment
