Liberal media pundits praise Brian Stelter after final show on CNN: ‘Like a mountain guide in an avalanche’

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Progressive media pundits praised CNN’s Brian Stelter after his last appearance on "Reliable Sources" on Sunday.

Twitter accounts offered their support for the anchor after it was announced on Thursday that CNN would be dropping Stelter and his program. This announcement came after incoming CNN CEO Chris Licht called for a new emphasis on nonpartisan reporting while Stelter was seen as "liberal shift."

Liberal writers similarly appreciated his contributions on Twitter.

"Once upon a time, I anchored a legacy show on cable television that was abruptly cancelled; so, I know firsthand how much it stings, and how hard it is to say goodbye. After a hell of a run, @brianstelter ends this chapter with class. Cheers. I look forward to the next one," NPR business correspondent David Gura tweeted.

Brian Stelter hosted his final "Reliable Sources" Sunday on CNN.  (Screenshot/CNN/ReliableSources)

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"As Brian Stelter leaves the air, I’m reminded not just of the right wingers who attacked his show but also those liberals & lefties who’d denounce him as a GOP mouthpiece. Which was absurd. I didn’t always agree, but national media lurches rightward w/ his departure," Vanity Fair contributing editor Jeff Sharlet wrote.

ABC senior manager of social Evan McMurry said, "This was a smart and savvy show that had an expensive view of media and pursued questions about the industry with a laudable openness. I'm excited for what @brianstelter will do next."

"Great job @brianstelter- classy, principled, focused on what matters. Bravo," TheWrap CEO Sharon Waxman applauded.

"Thank YOU, Brian, and the entire media team at CNN," CNN producer Channon Hodge wrote. "Sad and scary to go forth in these crazy times without you here."

In June 2022, "Reliable Sources" averaged a dismal 79,000 viewers between ages 25-54, the group of news consumers that most advertisers desire to reach, for its lowest-rated month since June 2001.  (CNN)

"Sad/bad day for democracy coverage and media criticism today, with the departure of @Sulliview from the Washington Post and @brianstelter from CNN. The media has to do better in 2024 and we can’t if we journalists aren’t willing to be much more self-critical and self-reflective," MSNBC host Mehdi Hasan tweeted, referencing Post columnist Margaret Sullivan’s similar departure on Sunday.

"Tuning in for @brianstelter’s last @ReliableSources. Struck (again) by how gdmn much he cares about our profession. An inspiring earnestness," Forbes senior entertainment reporter Lisette Voytko wrote.

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New Yorker staff writer Paige Williams tweeted, "The media isn't ‘the enemy of the people. It *is* the people,’ @brianstelter says just now on the final episode of @ReliableSources. The country needed/needs shows that hold journalism/media accountable. I'm glad this show existed."

Thomson Reuters Foundation trainer Corinne Podger wrote, "Our planet is experiencing the horrendous consequences of false equivalence in journalism on climate change. We really don’t need the same thing when it comes to democracy, @CNN. Thank you for calling out extremism, @brianstelter @ReliableSources will be missed."

"Here's the thing to appreciate in @brianstelter, whose departure from @CNN is @wbd's loss & shame: Like a mountain guide in an avalanche, his inquiry-based form of media reporting suits an age of relentless, consequential disruption," former New York Times writer Andrew Revkin wrote.

Stelter had first joined CNN in 2013 after previously working at the New York Times. During his final broadcast, he lamented, "The free world needs a reliable source."

Brian Stelter joined CNN in 2013.  (REUTERS/Andrew Kelly)

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"CNN will end its ‘Reliable Sources’ program on Sunday, August 21st. As a result, Brian Stelter will leave the company. We appreciate his contributions to the network and wish him well as he embarks on new endeavors," a CNN spokesperson told Fox News Digital in a statement last Thursday.