(C) Poynter Institute
This story was originally published by Poynter Institute and is unaltered.
. . . . . . . . . .
Brian Stelter leaving CNN; ‘Reliable Sources’ is canceled [1]
['Tom Jones', 'Tom Jones Is Poynter S Senior Media Writer For Poynter.Org. He Was Previously Part Of The Tampa Bay Times Family During Three Stints Over Some']
Date: 2022-08-18 19:39:37+00:00
Stunning news in the media world on Thursday.
Brian Stelter, CNN’s lead media reporter, is leaving the network as his Sunday morning show, “Reliable Sources,” is being canceled. The final show will be this Sunday.
In a statement, CNN said, “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 told NPR’s David Folkenflik, “It was a rare privilege to lead a weekly show focused on the press at a time when it has never been more consequential.”
And in an additional statement, Stelter said, “I’m grateful for my nine years with CNN, proud of what we accomplished on Reliable Sources and so thankful for the viewers who tuned in every week for our 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. I’ll have more to say on Sunday.”
Puck’s Dylan Byers reported that Stelter met with relatively new CNN boss Chris Licht on Wednesday. Byers wrote, “Apparently, Stelter emerged from the meeting looking ashen and refused to talk about the conversation with anyone.”
So those are the nuts and bolts. But is there more to the story?
Byers put it smartly when he wrote, “Stelter’s departure is both totally unsurprising and yet completely and utterly stunning.”
Stunning because Stelter’s is one of CNN’s more recognizable faces. Not only does he host the Sunday show, but he writes a daily media newsletter that is also called “Reliable Sources.” In addition, he often appears on CNN when there are breaking news stories involving the media.
Yet maybe the news is unsurprising because of a noticeable shift in CNN’s coverage and where Stelter fit into all of that.
Licht has been making cuts across the network since coming aboard just as Warner Brother Discover took over the old Time Warner company.
The Daily Beast’s Lachlan Cartwright, Corbin Bolies, Zachary Petrizzo wrote, “As a close ally and friend to former CNN boss Jeff Zucker, Stelter has occasionally appeared to be at odds with the new era of CNN.”
Folkenflik added, “Stelter, who often touted the show’s ratings on Twitter, was among those CNN hosts targeted for frequent criticism from conservatives for his coverage of the media in the Trump years.”
When Licht took over, there were reports that CNN wanted to move away from pundit journalism and back to more straight news. Stelter’s Sunday show often reported stories in a straightforward manner, but there was opinion, too. Stelter also would be critical of Donald Trump and conservative media.
The Daily Beast wrote, “In February, he called out key Discovery board member John Malone, who told CNBC last year that after a Discovery-Warner merger, he’d ‘like to see CNN evolve back to the kind of journalism that it started with, and actually have journalists, which would be unique and refreshing.’”
The Daily Beast also noted that earlier this year, in his nightly “Reliable Sources” newsletter, Stelter wrote, “The people who say the Zucker-era CNN was lacking in real journalism clearly were not watching CNN directly. My best guess is that they were watching talking heads and reading columnists complain about CNN. And yes, I’m including John Malone in this.”
Could that have played a role in all this? Possibly.
Another question worth asking: Did CNN decide that viewers don’t want media coverage and commentary about the media?
Variety’s Brian Steinberg wrote, “(Stelter) also came for many to symbolize CNN during Zucker’s tenure, when the network cast off its image as a vanilla purveyor of down-the-middle news and allowed its anchors to show more passion and feeling about the subjects they covered.”
Conservative media and right-wing types celebrated the Stelter news. But Matt Gertz, who writes for the Media Matters for America, tweeted, “.@brianstelter chronicled, with bracing honesty and directness, Fox News’ descent from GOP mouthpiece to toxic hellscape. His program will be missed, and I’m looking forward to whatever he does next.”
Insider’s Claire Atkinson tweeted that the entire “Reliable Sources” staff has been laid off, which also would lead one to believe that money was a contributing factor. The “Reliable Sources” newsletter will carry on with Oliver Darcy, who has been co-writing the report with Stelter, continuing as lead writer.
Darcy tweeted Thursday, “End of an era. It has been a hell of a ride working with @BrianStelter and the @ReliableSources team over the last five years. Brian has been a first-class colleague, mentor, and friend. I cannot wait to see what he does next.”
He added, “As for me, I’m looking forward to continuing to cover the media and hold powerful people and institutions accountable. It’s important work and I’m grateful to do it at CNN.”
Stelter’s career path was interesting and inventive. He started as a blogger covering cable news. He was so good at it that he was hired by The New York Times and worked alongside media columnist David Carr. Stelter eventually left for CNN and has hosted “Reliable Sources” for the past nine years. The show celebrated its 30th anniversary on the air earlier this year.
This story is developing and may be updated.
[END]
---
[1] Url:
https://www.poynter.org/commentary/2022/brian-stelter-leaving-cnn-reliable-sources-is-canceled/
Published and (C) by Poynter Institute
Content appears here under this condition or license: Creative Commons .
via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds:
gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/poynter/
