CNN’s Brian Stelter, a staple of anti-Fox-News fake news, is officially out at CNN, and not surprisingly, he’s decided to go out with one last bit of fake news.
The drama began to unfold at 1:22 pm Thursday, when NPR published a story titled, “Brian Stelter to depart CNN as it cancels ‘Reliable Sources’ media show.”
Exactly four minutes later, Stelter posted a tweet acting as if he’d just learned about the termination.
“I picked a bad day to violate the ABC rule — Always Be Charging. I took the kiddos out sightseeing in midtown Manhattan and my phone’s at 2% 🤦🏼♂️,” he wrote.
Look:
I picked a bad day to violate the ABC rule — Always Be Charging. I took the kiddos out sightseeing in midtown Manhattan and my phone’s at 2% 🤦🏼♂️
— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) August 18, 2022
But there’s a problem.
The fifth paragraph of NPR’s story begins as follows: “CNN chief Chris Licht informed Stelter of the decision yesterday.”
This means Stelter may have already known he’d been fired but pretended otherwise on Twitter. Cold busted!
Of course, in fairness, the longtime CNN host was likely only joshing around in his tweet, and that’s OK.
But as longtime critics of Mr. Stelter, it’s only appropriate that American Wire and BizPac Review take one final shot at him.
Yo @brianstelter – my show is hiring.
— GregGutfeld (@greggutfeld) August 18, 2022
Hey @brianstelter, would you be interested in working for the Bee? We’re looking for talent with experience putting out funny fake news. You come highly recommended. Shoot me a DM if you’re interested!
— Seth Dillon (@SethDillon) August 18, 2022
Brian Stelter AND Liz Cheney getting canned the same week is like Christmas, Mardi Gras and Independence Day all at the same time 🥳
— Monica Crowley (@MonicaCrowley) August 18, 2022
Brian Stelter going through it right now… pic.twitter.com/RVmDFD0ZfZ
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) August 18, 2022
That said, the rest of the public’s reaction to his termination hasn’t been quite as congenial. Many conservatives have long resented Stelter’s attacks on Fox News and other non-establishment media sources.
As a member of the ruling class elite, Stelter appears to believe that only established “journalists” with fancy degrees, proper social connections, and respect from the big dogs up top deserve to be taken seriously.
While this attitude served him well in the past, these days it’s become a detriment as the public’s trust in the establishment media has cratered and more and more Americans have turned to non-establishment outlets like American Wire for their news.
This incidentally has coincided with the slow but inexorable decline of CNN, which began with the ouster of chief Jeff Zucker but has since also ensnared former host Chris Cuomo and former contributor Jeffrey Toobin.
— Arthur Schwartz (@ArthurSchwartz) August 18, 2022
That being said, the CNN of yore had its fans, and as the tweets below demonstrate, they’re outraged that the network’s most partisan hosts are being axed one by one:
If you think @brianstelter is too partisan, you’re a joke. @CNN isn’t going toward better journalism by promising not to hold politicians (and the media) accountable, it’s going toward worse journalism. It’s not objective to call everything even, it’s political correctness.
— Cenk Uygur (@cenkuygur) August 18, 2022
Coverage of media has NEVER been important. And @brianstelter knows how to speak truth to power. This is a terrible decision, @CNN. https://t.co/xGw2RLApBs
— Vivian Schiller (@vivian) August 18, 2022
This is a terrible move by CNN. @brianstelter was the symbol of a media establishment willing to question itself. He was a flawed but essential voice in the national media. His firing is a win for all the wrong people. https://t.co/TOMHgZktU3
— Dan Froomkin/PressWatchers.org (@froomkin) August 18, 2022
This is not a good sign for @CNN. @brianstelter has been reporting on media’s failures—at CNN and elsewhere—to properly warn about rising autocracy. And had been calling for more reporting, period. https://t.co/zKCegpwozo
— Clara Jeffery (@ClaraJeffery) August 18, 2022
Note that some of the comments from his supporters are outright delusional. Stelter did not question the establishment media, ergo why many referred to him as the media’s janitor. If anything, he always strived to clean up the media’s messes.
Stelter has also rarely sought to hold those in power accountable, except for when Republicans held the White House. But ever since Democrat President Joe Biden took office in January, he’s been swinging off of the administration’s chandeliers.
If anything, his departure from CNN means one less Democrat Party mouthpiece pretending to perform real journalism on national TV.
Though on the other hand, considering all the connections that Stelter has among the establishment elite, it’s likely he’ll quickly bounce back with a new gig …
- Dan Abrams slams media for its coverage of ‘serious’ Letitia James fraud investigation - April 19, 2025
- ‘Like a thief in the night’: SCOTUS halts deportations of illegals under Alien Enemies Act - April 19, 2025
- Hegseth housecleaning: Pentagon infighting results in 3 terminations amid ongoing leak probe - April 19, 2025
Comment
We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.