Brian Stelter may be leaving CNN, but the job’s not done yet, he vowed Sunday.
Stelter said goodbye Sunday, days after the network announced that it was canceling the 30-year-old media criticism show “Reliable Sources” and that Stelter would be leaving with it.
“I know it’s not partisan to stand up for decency and democracy and dialogue,” Stelter said at the close of his Sunday show.
“It’s not partisan to stand up to demagogues. It’s required. It’s patriotic. We must make sure we don’t give platforms to those who are lying to our faces. But we also must make sure we are representing the full spectrum of debate and representing what is going on in this country and this world.
“That’s why CNN needs to be strong. That’s why I believe CNN will always be strong. You viewers at home, it’s on you. CNN must remain strong. I know the 4,500 staffers are going to do their part to make it stronger than ever. But it’s going to be on you to hold CNN accountable, and not just CNN. You got to hold your local paper accountable. You got to hold your local digital outlet accountable. It’s on all of us. We are all members of the media, all helping to make it better.”
Stelter, 36, has hosted “Reliable Sources” since 2013. In his closing remarks, he thanked former CNN boss Jeff Zucker “for believing in me, for having the back of this organization for so many years, for having my back through everything, even through the death threats,” as well as new CEO Chris Licht “for letting us say goodbye.”
“We need to have room for media criticism and debate and discussion and we will. So much of the media ecosystem in 2022 is garbage, but so much of it is spectacular,” Stelter said. “The hard part’s sorting out the treasure from the trash.”
Stelter has not announced his future plans, but senior media reporter Oliver Darcy will continue the “Reliable Sources” newsletter for CNN.
Licht warned last week that the cancellation of “Reliable Sources” is likely just the beginning of changes as the Warner Bros.-Discovery merger continues.
“I want to acknowledge that this is a time of significant change, and I know that many of you are unsettled,” he said on a staff call Friday, according to the Hollywood Reporter. “There will be more changes, and you might not understand it or like it.”
In another wing of the company, HBO Max is wiping dozens of shows, including originals, from its streaming service.
CNN’s own long-awaited streaming service, CNN+, was killed in April, less than a month after it launched.
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