Why CNN pushed out Brian Stelter and canceled Dependable Sources

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 outdoors 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 shops — in addition to Warner Brothers Discovery, the corporate that owns CNN together with a number of the world’s most respected cultural property.

That’s the preamble. Listed here are the theories. Crucially, they don’t seem to be 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 known 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 workers consider Malone’s view of CNN is completely coloured by Fox Information. “John Malone doesn’t watch CNN. John Malone solely watches CNN through Fox Information,” says a CNN worker. “If I watched CNN through Fox Information, I might hate CNN too.”

And Stelter, who spent many 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 concept by the New York Occasions, Malone gave one of the crucial candid admissions you’ll ever see a public individual 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 concept, 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 chief Zaslav employed to interchange Zucker — will discover different CNN journalists they need off the air as effectively. Alternate concept: They received’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 concept two:

It’s the cash, silly

As I wrote earlier this week, Warner Brothers Discovery has a heavy debt load, however Zaslav has advised traders that received’t matter, partly 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 an alternative of releasing it and layoffs at HBOMax — however there shall be many extra cuts to come back this fall. So Stelter, who reportedly made close to $1 million a year, was a straightforward reduce: His present, alongside together with his every day media publication, was an enormous deal in media circles — see this “Pet of the Day” submission from … David Zaslav — however not an enormous draw for normals.

Below Zaslav/Licht, CNN has already made one vital reduce: 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 is probably not something near sufficient to assist the mum or dad firm hit its numbers. Through which case, Stelter’s departure may very well be the primary of many, and we’ll spend much less time worrying about CNN’s politics and extra time worrying about its skill to supply first-class information protection.

CNN says each of these theories are unsuitable: 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 advised me that the information service is underneath 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 solution to cut back prices whereas including individuals: You let go of high-priced individuals and substitute 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.