Journalist Brian Stelter returns to CNN after being ousted from the cable television network more than two years ago in a dramatic restructuring.
“Yes, really,” Stelter, 39, said Tuesday when he announced that he would be the lead author of CNN’s “Reliable Sources” newsletter, which he launched in 2015.
He had already been fired in August 2022 after the network’s former CEO, Chris Licht, ended the program “Reliable Sources,” which he had hosted since 2013. At the time of its termination, it was CNN’s longest-running show.
“But this will not be a ‘Back to the Future’ remake,” Stelter wrote in the newsletter.
“The media industry has matured, CNN has evolved and I have changed a lot since I quit two years ago.
“I loved my old life as a Sunday morning show host, but to borrow a phrase from my days as a video game blogger, I’ve beaten this level of the game. Time for new levels, new challenges.”
Stelter’s new job comes after former CNN media reporter Oliver Darcy quit to launch his own media newsletter.
In his new role as chief media analyst, he will go live on air, distribute digital content and be responsible for the newsletter, which he says “will be different because I’m different.”
Stelter wrote that after his firing, he changed his news habits and moved away from Manhattan “to a horse farm near one of former President Donald Trump’s golf clubs.”
“I’ve been experiencing the news more like a regular consumer and have learned a great deal about the attention economy and the information ecosystem,” he wrote. “I look forward to sharing my findings with you.”
During his two-year hiatus, Stelter, who is married to NY1 anchor Jamie Stelter, wrote for various publications and even made a few appearances on CNN.
Stelter was a victim of Licht’s restructuring during his tenure at CNN, which sought to make the network more welcoming to both political camps after it was accused of drifting too far to the left during Trump’s presidency.
While CNN enjoyed high ratings during the Trump era, viewership declined after Trump’s departure. Stelter’s program, “Reliable Sources,” was one of the lowest-rated shows in the months before his firing.
But Licht resigned as CEO last year after a scathing magazine report angered staff and key executives. He was replaced by Mark Thompson, a former New York Times and BBC executive.
