You read that correctly. The liberal media’s janitor, Brian Stelter will be returning to CNN two years after being canned amid network-wide shake ups under the leadership of since-ousted boss Chris Licht. That’s according to a Tuesday scoop by Stelter’s former CNN media beat buddy Dylan Byers, and later confirmed by Stelter on X and in a post from the resurrected Reliable Sources Newsletter.
“Two years after his termination from CNN, former host and media correspondent Brian Stelter is returning to the network full time, per reliable sources. Formal announcement expected tomorrow. (Or today now!),” Byers wrote on X.
Stelter announced the news on X, saying they created a new title just for him and he would be resurrecting the Reliable Sources Newsletter after his former flunky, Oliver Darcy abruptly left the network in the beginning of August (possibly over Stelter’s imminent re-hiring):
I’m returning to @CNN in a brand new role as Chief Media Analyst. I’ll be appearing on TV, developing digital content, and once again helming the Reliable Sources newsletter.
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) September 3, 2024
It’s worth noting that Stelter’s former title was “chief media correspondent,” which gave the false impression he was just a journalist, meanwhile he used his show (so-called Reliable Sources) to spout his left-wing political opinions and defend the media’s biased reporting against conservatives and Republicans. The shift to “analyst” was more fitting for an opinion peddler.
In dusting the cobwebs off the newsletter Tuesday evening, Stelter announced he was returning to CNN. “Hello again, it’s Brian Stelter — yes, really,” he wrote. “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.”
And talked about how getting fired by CNN was good for him (Click “expand”):
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.
I was incredibly lucky to have time as a stay-at-home dad. In the hours when 7-year-old Sunny and 5-year-old Story were at school, I tried on a variety of other hats: Harvard fellow, BBC talking head, magazine writer. I authored a book, and more importantly had time to read lots of others’ books. I wrote for more than 20 publications, from The Atlantic to WIRED, and learned about the ups and downs of freelance life. And I hosted a podcast for Vanity Fair, “Inside the Hive,” which I will continue to lead through the end of the year.
Adding: “Reliable Sources will officially relaunch on Monday, September 9, but before then I want to hear from you. What do you want to know about the wide world of media? Which sources do you rely on, and why? What do you wish would change? Send me your questions, ideas and observations via email here.”
That email address is “reliabletips@CNN.com.”
So, while it doesn’t appear as though Stelter will be getting his Sunday show back (at least for now), he would be taking over a lot of his old duties and taking on new ones as he would be appearing on other shows around the clock.
Stelter’s sudden firing was announced just a few days before his final show. “Stelter’s departure is both totally unsurprising and yet completely and utterly stunning,” Byers said at the time.
He closed out his final show with these parting words blowing smoke for the network that was getting rid of him: “I can’t wait to be watching CNN seeing what happens to it in the future. I’m going to be rooting for it. I want CNN to be strong. I believe America needs CNN to be strong. I believe the free world needs CNN to be strong. And it will continue to be. Because all of us are going to help make that happen. The free world needs a reliable source.”
Following the original announcement that Stelter was going to be fired, NewsBusters had put together a worst-of roundup.
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