CNN Cancels ‘Reliable Sources’ – Brian Stelter Walks – As Network Leans to the Right

Thursday afternoon CNN announced that it is cancelling it’s longest running program, and the only credible media analysis show on TV, “Reliable Sources.” It’s host, Brian Stelter, has also announced that he will leave the network.

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This Sunday will be the last episode of Reliable Sources. The decision comes shortly after CNN’s parent, Warner Bros., was bought by Discovery Networks, whose CEO David Zaslov is notoriously conservative. Discovery also has on its board of directors John Malone, a longtime right-winger and Trump supporter.

RELATED: Big Liar Donald Trump Lies Bigly that CNN Has Prohibited Saying the Phrase ‘The Big Lie’

The new company hired former “Late Show” producer Chris Licht to run the network. And while that might have seemed like a promising choice, Licht has been making statements about how he is more interested in cutting back on news analysis in favor of just presenting a dryer, context-free brand of straight news.

If they think that trying to stake out a neutral position is going to garner them more ratings or respect, they haven’t been paying attention. The right is going to demonize them no matter what they say if it less than wholly adoring of the right-wing, ultra-MAGA narrative. They already regard bland, non-partisan news readers like Wolf Blitzer as radical lefties. They think Joe Manchin is a socialist. Given the blind, knee-jerk biases of their conservative critics, it makes no sense to try to mollify them. Journalistic ethics requires a commitment to reporting the truth, even when it means calling liars liars. Especially when it means calling liars liars.

Reliable Sources has been an island in a rocky media sea where so many of the players are either slanted to the right or consumed by the need to “balance” stories with conservative lies just to avoid being perceived as “liberal.” CNN could not have picked a worse time ditch a program that helped people become more media literate. Phony neutrality will be perceived as weakness and will shortchange the audience who need more contextualization, not less.

The impact of this cancelation can be assessed by the reactions of the right-wing pundits who never watched it. Twitter was trending all afternoon with derogatory remarks about the program and its host that aren’t worth repeating here. Suffice to say that they were uniformly infantile and devoid of any actual substance.

For its part, Fox News had two stories about the cancelation on their website. They were titled “Brian Stelter out at CNN as network cancels media show ‘Reliable Sources'” and “‘Later, Tater!’ Twitter says goodbye to Brian Stelter after CNN cancels his show.” Both articles reinforced the Fox News hatred for professional journalism standards. And it’s notable that there were two of these articles on CNN, but not a single story on the website’s front page about the CFO of The Trump Organization, Allen Weisselberg, pleading guilty to 15 felonies. UPDATE: There have two more stories on CNN, but still no story on Weisselberg.

While right-wingers across the InterTubes are celebrating the news of Stelter’s departure as if it was an obituary, Stelter is actually going to be pretty busy. Setting aside whatever new TV role he may assume, he is currently a producer of “The Morning Show” on Apple TV+, a successful adaptation of his book, “Top of the Morning.” It stars Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Steve Carell, and has received eight Emmys and 53 nominations. He is also the author of the bestseller, Hoax: Donald Trump, Fox News, and the Dangerous Distortion of Truth.”

RELATED: CNN’s Brian Stelter’s Killer Video Mash Up: Tucker Carlson is the New Alex Jones

It is disappointing that CNN would cancel this unique program at this time. And it portends trouble going forward if they continue in this direction. The media is sorely in need of honest self appraisals. Reliable Sources did that covering TV, radio, print and the Internet. Now there aren’t any programs that are dedicated to that mission. It’s a sad state of affairs, and one that Stelter himself noted in his goodbye tweet…

“I loved anchoring @ReliableSources. It was a rare privilege to lead a weekly show focused on the press at a time when it has never been more consequential.”

UPDATE: Predictably, Trump has weighed in with his customary childish BS, saying that “Brian Stelter of Fake News CNN got fired because he lied, and lied, and lied – ABOUT ME. May he REST IN PEACE!” Of course, Stelter was NOT fired, he quit. And Trump can’t cite a single alleged lie. And Stelter, as noted above, is far from dead. Can’t the same about Trump.

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8 thoughts on “CNN Cancels ‘Reliable Sources’ – Brian Stelter Walks – As Network Leans to the Right

  1. If CNN starts leaning right now after being bought out by discovery networks then I’ll switch to another channel that will continue report the news honestly. This is total BS. Reliable sources was a great show and Brian Stelter is a top notch reporter. We will miss you Brian!

  2. From the article-“The decision comes shortly after CNN’s parent, Warner Bros., was bought by Discovery Networks, whose CEO David Zaslov is notoriously anti-American. Discovery also has on its board of directors John Malone, a longtime terrorist.” There, FIXED it for you. CALL these sacks of s*it EXACTLY what they are. Traitors and threat to the safety and security of women and this country. They are the danger.

    • Not the only danger. I have one more thing to add. Trump Trump Trump. The source of the mess we are in today.

      • Guest, you hit the nail on the head when you said, ” TUMP, TUMP, TUMP, the source of the mess we are in today” He is indeed the source of this mess we are in, similar to the huge ”MESS” Adolf Hitler created for the whole world in the 1930’s and 1940’s and millions of deaths in World War II. it took a lot of time and money to clean up and rebuild cities in Europe, but Hitler was dead and the world was the better for it.

  3. Well, i was wondering why i was seeing so many lying ass Rethuglican ads when i watched a show on the Discovery Network, this article explains it all. I have stopped watching the Network because of this despite having a few shows i really liked. I will just have to get used to not watching Discovery shows from now on. I am tired of turning off my TV every time they run their ads spewing blatant, bald-faced damn lies. I thoroughly hate and despise ANYONE in the Rethuglican party and i hate the stupid, dumb, ignorant, shit eating people that vote for them too, that includes most of my relatives and all these dumb bastard neighbors of mine too… i don’t even speak to those assholes any longer. They can all ROT in hell as far as i am concerned.

    • And did you see the rally Trump was speaking at? (talking about tv networks!) Liz Cheney “She needs to go! “Get out of here! YOU’RE FIRED!” Come on, Trump. Come the day YOU will be fired. And Liz Cheney will be the next president!

      • I didn’t see the rally……. i can honestly say i can’t stand to watch him even for a few seconds. I hate TUMP so much i can’t even stand to look at a picture of him. I like to watch programs about UFO’s and the other night i was watching one of those shows and i’ll be damned, they had his disgusting ass on one of those UFO shows, i fast forwarded through that part of the show with him in it. They even had that baboon Carlson Tucker on one of them.. it seems i can’t watch anything without these baboons being on some of my favorite TV programs. If i wanted to see baboons, i would go to the zoo and see them smear their excrement on the walls. All Rethuglicans are disgusting to me and so are the gullible, delusional, idiots that vote for them.

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