Will CNN dumping of Brian Stelter bring network back to the middle?: Concha
After Stelter exit, CNN insiders say more changes are coming, and soon
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This article is adapted from Joe Concha's video commentary.
It was one of the more predictable things you'll see in an otherwise unpredictable media world. CNN's chief media correspondent Brian Stelter was booted from the network last week after nine years there.
He had never worked in television before or hosted a show in any capacity, but the network gave him "Reliable Sources" anyway, which is now canceled.
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As the years went by, Stelter became more and more partisan, with some reports saying he was simply serving as a mouthpiece for his now former boss, Jeff Zucker.
On the ironically titled program "Reliable Sources," most guests simply echoed the worldview of its host, while Stelter's kid gloves treatment of guests hostile to anyone remotely on the right, and especially former President Trump, were the stuff of legend.
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So now the smart money is he’ll be off to MSNBC or Media Matters or the New York Times – three condescending and partisan institutions that would be a perfect fit.
But what does this mean overall for CNN?
On one hand, this could mean they are actually pivoting towards more journalism – less towards activism and back to the relative middle.
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But, on the other hand, Chris Licht, CNN’s new president, was the executive producer for Stephen Colbert’s show, and before that MSNBC’s "Morning Joe" with Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski.
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So it all depends on who he hires to backfill the Stelters and Jeffrey Toobins of the world.