Brian Stelter Returns To CNN As Chief Media Analyst, Reliable Sources Newsletter Lead Author

Ted Johnson
·2 min read
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Brian Stelter is returning to CNN as chief media analyst and author of its Reliable Sources newsletter.

Stelter departed CNN in 2022, several months after Chris Licht became CEO and cancelled his Sunday show, Reliable Sources.

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“I’m returning to CNN in a brand new role as Chief Media Analyst, which means I’ll be appearing on air, developing digital content, and helming this newsletter,” Stelter wrote in a message to email subscribers. “It will be different, because I am different.”

He added, “I always scoffed at people who said “getting fired was the best thing that’s ever happened to me” — until, well, it happened to me. After 20+ years as a news junkie, I changed my habits and tuned out for a bit. I also changed my vantage point, moving from Manhattan to a horse farm near one of Donald Trump’s golf clubs. I experienced the news more like an everyday consumer, and in doing so, I learned a whole lot about the attention economy and the information ecosystem. I’m looking forward to sharing what I learned with you.”

Stelter previously authored the newsletter, and was succeeded by Oliver Darcy. Darcy recently left the network to launch his own paid subscription newsletter, Status.

“I’m rooting for Oliver and, as I have told him personally, I think we’re going to complement each other wonderfully,” Stelter wrote.

The newsletter will relaunch on Monday, Stelter said. He also will continue to host a Vanity Fair podcast, Inside the Hive, through the end of the year.

Stelter joined CNN in 2013 from The New York Times. He hosted a revamped Reliable Sources and launched a regular newsletter, but also was a regular presence on CNN news programming. He offered sharp commentary on Donald Trump and Fox News, and authored two books on the symbiosis between the president and the network, Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth, and Network of Lies: The Epic Saga of Fox News, Donald Trump and the Battle for American Democracy.

His departure from CNN in 2022 was amid cost-cutting at the network. In leaving, Stelter said, “I know it’s not partisan to stand up for decency and democracy and dialogue. It’s not partisan to stand up to demagogues. It’s required. It’s patriotic.”

Licht was ousted from CNN the following year, and succeeded by Mark Thompson. Thompson has outlined a plan to boost CNN’s digital offerings, while integrating newsrooms. Earlier this summer, the network cut about 100 jobs.

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