CNN's Brian Stelter wins first-ever 'Liberal Hack Tournament,' topping mainstream media giants
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CNN chief media correspondent Brian Stelter was named "Biggest Liberal Hack" by voters, beating out dozens of mainstream media giants in the first-ever "Liberal Hack Tournament."
Stelter, a No. 1 seed, sailed through the viral competition, trouncing each of his competitors leading up the finals, but faced his toughest battle against MSNBC contributor Jennifer Rubin, winning 57 percent of the vote. He previously won the "Way-Too-Online Hack" division of the tournament and had defeated MSNBC star Rachel Maddow, who was the "Establishment Hack" champion.
Rubin, a No. 2 seed, beat out CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta, a No. 1 seed, in an unprecedented sudden-death match after the two split the vote 50-50 in the Final Four.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Twitter user Comfortably Smug, the unverified founder of the tournament whose identity has remained a mystery, launched the NCAA-style tournament earlier this month, pitting many members of the mainstream media against each other.
A spokesman for Smug Industries told Fox News, "Despite the best efforts of Jennifer Rubin’s hackery, Brian Stelter, like the hack heavyweight he is, chewed through the competition. Now, Smug and his minions congratulate Stelter and award him a position he’s unofficially held for some time: Biggest Liberal Hack."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Brian Stelter may not be a universal household name, but he outlasted some of the biggest giants in media, including ABC News' George Stephanopoulos, MSNBC hosts Chuck Todd, Nicolle Wallace, Joe Scarborough, Chris Matthews, and Joy Reid as well as several of his CNN colleagues including anchors Jake Tapper, Don Lemon, Chris Cuomo, Anderson Cooper and chief legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin.
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The final round was launched on Super Bowl Sunday and closed on Monday evening. The entire tournament tallied nearly one million votes.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CNN did not immediately respond to Fox News' request for comment.