CNN Continues To Be 'MSNBC Lite' By Re-Hiring Brian Stelter
Brian Stelter is returning to CNN.
"Hello again, it’s Brian Stelter — yes, really. I am thrilled to share that I am returning as the lead author of CNN’s Reliable Sources newsletter, the digest I founded in 2015," Stelter wrote in a surprise edition of the newsletter on Tuesday.
Stelter says he will assume the role of Chief Media Analyst, which includes on-air appearances, developing digital content, and authoring the newsletter. He will not resume anchoring the "Reliable Sources" television program on Sundays, which CNN canceled in 2022.
For a recap, Chris Licht replaced Jeff Zucker as CNN president in 2023. Parent company Warner Bros. Discovery tasked Licht to tone down the partisanship across the network and restore credibility.
Licht responded to his new position by immediately firing Stelter, whose role as a "media critic" consisted almost exclusively of criticizing right-wing media.
It's not that right-wing news outlets do not deserve scrutiny — they do. However, Stelter's objectivity came into question when he often refused to criticize any of the many overtly left-leaning news organizations.
For example, Stelter has continued his crusade against Fox News since his firing but failed to mention MSNBC's conspiracy-laden coverage of the assassination attempt of Donald Trump.
Stelter was also noticeably quiet on Joy Reid's racist yet viral rant last month, likening Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly to a "mayonnaise sandwich" over his whiteness.
The knock on Brian Stelter is not that he has biases. Most journalists do. The knock is that he claims he doesn't.
As for CNN, new CEO Mark Thompson has made it quite clear that his vision of the network closely resembles Zucker's, which can be described as "MSNBC Lite."
In addition to re-hiring Stelter, Thompson also promoted Jim Acosta to a weekday anchor role and elevated Laura Coats and Abby Phillips into primetime.
"I’m very happy to welcome Brian back to CNN in this new role," Thompson said in a statement. "Brian is one of the best global experts in media commentary, and as the founder of the Reliable Sources newsletter, he is the perfect choice to lead Reliable Sources into its next chapter."