Final 'Reliable Sources' panel discusses CNN leadership who want to bring network 'back to the center'

A "Reliable Sources" panel discussed the new CNN leadership and the "future of CNN" on Sunday with now former host Brian Stelter during the final episode of the show.

Stelter turned to his panelists, NPR's Eric Deggans, CNN media analyst David Zurawik and Insider's Claire Atkinson to ask them to weigh in on CNN's future.

"Well, I think your new owners, John Malone specifically, would like to — they want to bring it back to the center," Atkinson said. Stelter asked her to elaborate on who Malone is for the viewers.

"He is a libertarian, multibillionaire, owns a lot of ranch land in America. He is the father of cable in many ways, he came up with broadband and made it a business," she continued.

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Stelter said Malone was a "cable icon" and read a statement he made to the New York Times.

CNN announced on Thursday that the network would be ending "Reliable Sources" and that Stelter would be leaving. 

"In an email to the New York Times, Malone said he had nothing to do with the cancelation of ‘Reliable Sources.’ Malone said he wants the news portion of CNN to be more centrist, but [he's] not in control or directly involved," Stelter said.

Atkinson said she didn't know if Malone was responsible for canceling "Reliable Sources."

"I think that’s a good question that people are asking, is John Malone responsible for axing your show? I don’t know the answer to that. I think people might suspect it’s political. He’s a libertarian who believes in not paying taxes if he can avoid it. But the question is, you know, he said he’s not directly involved," she said, adding that he was a businessman looking at where the money is and where the audience is.

"But he acknowledged in the meantime there’s going to be the possibility of people leaving CNN, and the possibility that ratings go down," she continued. Stelter said he would be rooting for CNN for the rest of his life.

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Stelter asked Zurawik about the word "centrist," with the latter arguing that the conversation is often reduced to "facts, just give me facts."

"Facts is not enough. Yes, facts first. Context, explanatory journalism, which this show does. You have to explain the situation," he said. "And so my hope for CNN, more than ever, this is the most important cable channel, I think, right now, to set a standard for journalism, Brian. And I pray to God they do it."

"I hope that what we’re not going to see CNN do is institute some sort of false equivalence, where the extremism of one party is balanced with the regular dysfunction of another party. We need to be free to call out when someone breaks the law, when someone breaks norms, when someone introduces prejudice and stereotypes into the public debate. We need to feel free to call those things out without being accused of being unfair politically when what we are really doing is trying to see things very clearly and root out the most negative anti-democratic impulses that have risen to the fore in a lot of our public debate," Deggans added.

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Stelter bid a farewell to CNN and "Reliable Sources" on Sunday during the final episode of the show. He thanked his family, former CNN president Jeff Zucker, as well as current CNN boss Chris Licht for allowing him to say goodbye.

"I believe America needs CNN to be strong, I believe the free world needs CNN to be strong, and it will continue to be because all of us are going to help make that happen. The free world needs a reliable source. So, for ‘Reliable Sources,’ for the last time, I'm Brian Stelter, thanks for being with us," Stelter said during his final moments as "Reliable Sources" host.