Brian Stelter announces return to CNN two years after exiting network: ‘Time to get back to work’

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: Journalist Brian Stelter is set to return as the lead author of CNN’s Reliable Sources media newsletter, two years after his show 'Reliable Sources' was canceled by the network in 2022.

Stelter will take on the mantle of Reliable Sources newsletter, which he founded in 2015, after the exit of Oliver Darcy last month. Darcy was asked to keep the newsletter moving. He has now launched a newsletter called Status covering media, entertainment and the tech industry.

Meanwhile, Stelter plans to relaunch Reliable Sources newsletter on September 9, per Variety.

Brian Stelter returns to CNN after two years

Brian Stelter wrote in an email to subscribers of Reliable Sources, "But this is not going to be a 'Back to the Future' remake. The media industry has matured, CNN has evolved, and I have changed a lot since I signed off two years ago."

He added, "I loved my old life as the anchor of a Sunday morning show but, to borrow some lingo from my video game blogger days, I finished that level of the game. Time for new levels, new challenges."

Stelter also mentioned that he’s returning to CNN in a new role as chief media analyst, "which means I’ll be appearing on air, developing digital content, and helming this newsletter. It will be different, because I am different."

He also wrote on X while sharing a news article by The Hollywood Reporter about his return, "Simply put, CNN feels like home. Those three iconic letters are magnetic. So it's time to get back to work..."

Stelter wrote in the email, "I always scoffed at people who said ‘getting fired was the best thing that’s ever happened to me’ — until, well, it happened to me."

Stelter said, after leaving CNN in 2022, "I changed my habits and tuned out for a bit… I experienced the news more like an everyday consumer, and in doing so, I learned a whole lot about the attention economy and the information ecosystem."

He added that he was "incredibly lucky" to have time as a stay-at-home father with his two children, and also contributed toward more than 20 publications.

Internet reacts as Brian Stelter returns to CNN

Several social media users trolled CNN as well as Brian Stelter as he is set to return as the lead author of Reliable Sources media newsletter after two years.

A user wrote on X, "CNN bringing back Brian Stelter to give softball interviews to Team Harris is the least surprising thing I’ve seen today."

Another added, "At this point I’m not sure they’d even do interviews with someone like Potato Stelter."

A person also stated, "So CNN have given up trying to improve their ratings", whereas one mentioned, "CNN’s buffer budget just went way up."

A user remarked, "I can't wait to see how that "network" holds up to TWELVE PEOPLE tuning in at once", while one commented, "He means unreliable content."

An individual noted, "Another fail for CNN", whereas one wrote, "CNN doesn't want to succeed, a strange business model."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.