Liberals grumbling over CNN canceling Brian Stelter’s show proves to critics it was ‘anti-conservative porn’

CNN’s recently canceled "Reliable Sources" with Brian Stelter was simply "anti-conservative porn for the left," according to critics who believe the liberals grumbling over the show’s demise is proof it catered only to one side. 

‘Scrutinizing the media is a necessary thing, but Stelter's show was clearly partisan and appealed only to left-of-center viewers. It has been interesting to see so many liberal commentators and pundits bemoan the cancellation of Stelter's show. They obviously mourn the loss of a host who served as a surrogate to present their partisan view of the world," DePauw University journalism professor Jeffrey McCall told Fox News Digital. 

"Stelter was a key part of CNN's left tilt, not only with his show ‘Reliable Sources,’ but with his other appearances across the channel," McCall added. "Having these partisan pundits lavish over-the-top praise for a show that never really resonated with the American public suggests a recognition that Stelter's program was, indeed, merely a platform for bashing conservative media and personalities, rather than a serious, balanced and broad critique of American media." 

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Ex-Labor Secretary Robert Reich seethed Wednesday that Stelter was "commercially successful" and claimed the defunct program was blessed with "good ratings," insisting it was only canceled because of the interference of right-wing billionaires. The show frequently didn't win its time slot and languished, along with other CNN programming, in the Biden era.

Reich painted new CNN boss Chris Licht as a CEO cozying up to the right and vying for less criticism of conservatives, touting Stelter’s canceled production as a "reliable" critique of right-wing media, Trumpism, and the "increasingly authoritarian lurch" of the Republican Party.

But Licht and CNN’s new Warner Bros. Discovery ownership has indicated the network simply wants to return to founder Ted Turner’s just-the-facts approach to news and not appease one side of the aisle. 

Previous CNN boss Jeff Zucker, who was forced out before Warner Bros. Discovery, was thought to be largely responsible for the network’s dramatic shift to the left, but CNN continued to insist it was a nonpartisan operation despite loading its lineup with liberal opinion hosts. Stelter, who was known to be close to the scandal-plagued Zucker and regularly defended his every move, insisted that his program represented "the full spectrum of debate" in America. 

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Stelter essentially contradicted himself on the final episode of "Reliable Sources," booking a lineup of left-wing critics of conservatives and non-liberal media without representing the "full spectrum" of debate. 

Stelter was regularly mocked by conservatives but celebrated by a small group of outspoken liberals. Reich, who served in the Bill Clinton administration and is an outspoken progressive, was among the Stelter fans to mourn the program’s demise. So did New York University professor Jay Rosen, who tweeted that "journalists at CNN should be alert and alarmed" because Stelter was fired. 

Author and outspoken Trump critic Stephen King tweeted, "The one show on CNN I never missed was Reliable Sources, with Brian Stelter. It has been an invaluable window into how the media covers... itself."

NPR business correspondent David Gura praised Stelter’s "hell of a run," Vanity Fair contributing editor Jeff Sharlet noted "national media lurches rightward" with his departure, ABC senior manager of social Evan McMurry said the canceled show was "smart and savvy," and New Yorker staff writer Paige Williams announced he was "glad this show existed."

Conservative watchdog Media Research Center associate editor Nicholas Fondacaro believes the type of people who are grieving about CNN showing Stelter the door proves his show was "anti-conservative porn for the left."

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"Rarely would he have a conservative guest on the program and, when he did, he’d play dumb to their criticism or call it dangerous and a threat. Meanwhile, he asked the Biden administration to slam the media for what the industry gets wrong about the agenda," Fondacaro told Fox News Digital. 

"He was one of the first to claim Trump was ‘unfit for office’ and used his show to vigorously demand that be the narrative that the rest of the media run with. He would sit silently as unhinged guests would make outrageously false statements and make up excuses for not pushing back. With routine guests like David Zurawik, Carl Bernstein, and Dan Rather, the show was packed with reliably left-wing sources," Fondacaro added. "Stelter is infamous for being one of the biggest brown-nosers in the industry, and he used his show to curry favor with big names and infusers. And the people speaking out in support are the fruit of that labor."

However, Stelter defended his reputation until the end and appeared to jab observers who thought he was in the tank.

"I know it’s not partisan to stand up for decency and democracy and dialogue. It’s not partisan to stand up to demagogues. It’s required. It’s patriotic. We must make sure we don’t give platforms to those who are lying to our faces," Stelter said in his final episode.

The final episode of "Reliable Sources" averaged 769,000 viewers, losing to Fox News’ "MediaBuzz" by 81%. Stelter averaged only 105,000 demo viewers for his farewell to lose by 110% to "MediaBuzz" in the critical category. 

Fox News’ Joseph A. Wulfsohn, Nikolas Lanum and Lindsay Kornick contributed to this report. 

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