CNN host Brian Stelter is leaving the network after CNN decided to cancel his partisan show “Reliable Sources.”
“CNN will end its Reliable Sources program on Sunday, August 21st,” a spokesperson for the network said in a statement. “As a result Brian Stelter will leave the company. We appreciate his contributions to the network and wish him well as he embarks on new endeavors.”
“Reliable Sources” was CNN’s longest-running show before Thursday’s announcement. Stelter has hosted the program since 2013.
“I’m grateful for my nine years with CNN, proud of what we accomplished on Reliable Sources and so thankful for the viewers who tuned in every week for our examination of the media, truth and the stories that shape our world,” Stelter said.
“It was a rare privilege to lead a weekly show focused on the press at a time when it has never been more consequential. I’ll have more to say on Sunday,” he added.
In June, Axios reported that CNN’s new CEO Chris Licht was planning to shift towards less partisan coverage as CNN had moved notoriously farther left in its coverage in recent years. Axios specifically pointed to Stelter as an example of hyper-partisanship and explained that “If talent cannot adjust to a less partisan tone and strategy, they could be ousted.”
On his first day as CNN’s CEO in May, Licht sent a memo saying that he was there to “make the tough calls” and adding that “too many people have lost trust in the news media.”
“I think we can be a beacon in regaining that trust by being an organization that exemplifies the best characteristics of journalism: fearlessly speaking truth to power, challenging the status quo, questioning ‘group-think, and educating viewers and readers with straightforward facts and insightful commentary, while always being respectful of differing viewpoints.” Licht continued.
“First and foremost, we should, and we will be advocates for the truth,” he added.
