Why was Brian Stelter, CNN’s star media reporter and host of its Dependable Sources present, pushed out of his job this week?
Inside and out of doors of CNN, there are two working theories.
However earlier than we get there, let’s speak about why we’re speaking about Brian Stelter: Sure, individuals in media care approach an excessive amount of about different individuals in media. And media reporters — like me — are even guiltier of this. However on this case, what occurred to Stelter issues as a result of it might inform us lots about the way forward for CNN — one of many world’s strongest information retailers — in addition to Warner Brothers Discovery, the corporate that owns CNN together with among the world’s most useful cultural property.
That’s the preamble. Listed below are the theories. Crucially, they aren’t mutually unique.
It’s the politics, silly
That is the juicy one: On this model of occasions, Stelter is the sufferer of John Malone, the billionaire cable magnate and essentially the most highly effective investor in Warner Brothers Discovery Inc., which now owns CNN and the remainder of what was once referred to as Time Warner.
Malone’s politics lean fairly proper/libertarian, although he was additionally critical of Donald Trump during his administration. Extra to the purpose: Present and former CNN staff consider Malone’s view of CNN is totally coloured by Fox Information. “John Malone doesn’t watch CNN. John Malone solely watches CNN by way of Fox Information,” says a CNN worker. “If I watched CNN by way of Fox Information, I’d hate CNN too.”
And Stelter, who spent a lot of the Trump period criticizing the American proper’s embrace of disinformation, was already a goal of Fox Information hosts like Tucker Carlson, who delighted in lampooning him. Then, after Stelter’s boss, Jeff Zucker, was pushed out in February, Stelter went after Malone, who had mentioned he wished CNN was extra like Fox Information as a result of Fox Information had “precise journalism.”
Requested about this principle by the New York Instances, Malone gave one of the vital candid admissions you’ll ever see a public particular person make within the guise of a denial: “Mr. Malone mentioned he needs “the ‘information’ portion of CNN to be extra centrist, however I’m not in management or immediately concerned.”
Translation: Sure, this pleases me.
So on this principle, Malone believes Stelter represents the excesses of CNN’s protection. However presumably Malone and his managers — Warner Brothers Discovery CEO David Zaslav and Chris Licht, the manager Zaslav employed to interchange Zucker — will discover different CNN journalists they need off the air as nicely. Alternate principle: They gained’t have to let go of anybody else as a result of they’ve made an instance of Stelter.
Then once more, perhaps they’ll have to let go of lots of people due to principle No. 2:
It’s the cash, silly
As I wrote earlier this week, Warner Brothers Discovery has a heavy debt load, however Zaslav has informed traders that gained’t matter, partially as a result of he’s going to seek out $3 billion in savings.
We’ve already seen indicators of budget-cutting within the firm’s leisure properties — like shelving a Batgirl film as a substitute of releasing it and layoffs at HBOMax — however there will likely be many extra cuts to come back this fall. So Stelter, who reportedly made close to $1 million a year, was a straightforward minimize: His present, alongside along with his day by day media e-newsletter, was an enormous deal in media circles — see this “Pet of the Day” submission from … David Zaslav — however not an enormous draw for normals.
Underneath Zaslav/Licht, CNN has already made one vital minimize: Killing off CNN+, its brand-new streaming service, weeks after it launched (disclosure: My editor and I are producers on a present Vox Media made for CNN+).
However that will not be something near sufficient to assist the mother or father firm hit its numbers. By which case, Stelter’s departure might be the primary of many, and we’ll spend much less time worrying about CNN’s politics and extra time worrying about its capability to supply first-class information protection.
CNN says each of these theories are mistaken: It says Licht removed Stelter and Dependable Sources as a result of it needs totally different programming on Sunday mornings. And CNN spokesman Matt Dornic informed me that the information service is below no stress from its new proprietor to scale back headcount, noting that Licht has mentioned he needs to rent extra journalists.
Then once more, there’s actually a approach to cut back prices whereas including individuals: You let go of costly individuals and exchange them with cheaper ones.
I hate saying “wait and see” on the finish of tales like this. However that is one the place we undoubtedly have to see the way it performs out. For starters, Stelter’s final present is on Sunday. The one factor I’m positive about is that he needs to make use of his swan tune to speak about all of this.
