Stelter skips Hunter Biden laptop media coverage on 30th anniversary of 'Reliable Sources'
CNN was one of many media outlets that avoided the story in 2020
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CNN’s Brian Stelter celebrated the 30th anniversary of his show "Reliable Sources" by avoiding the latest coverage of Hunter Biden’s laptop.
Stelter marked this month as the 30th anniversary for the longest-running program on CNN. While "Inside Politics" premiered earlier, Stelter noted that "Reliable Sources" was the only long-running show to not experience any interruptions.
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CNN "Reliable Sources" host and senior media correspondent Brian Stelter speaks on the "Trust, Truth and the Future of Journalism" panel at the Media Literacy Week kickoff event in Manhattan on Nov. 6, 2017. (Reuters/Andrew Kelly)
Although the final segment focused on the first broadcast in 1992, Stelter spent the majority of his show discussing the ongoing Russia invasion of Ukraine as well as the threat of "Russia disinformation."
"A big problem has been misinformation and policing misinformation. This is very much something that is incredibly beneficial in a circumstance like this, but can also be incredibly dangerous. That’s why it’s important to have communication channels that allow people to get accurate, verified information," former ABC and NBC correspondent Mara Schiavocampo commented.
However, Stelter avoided discussing the recent revelation regarding President Biden’s son Hunter Biden and his infamous laptop. The New York Times confirmed Thursday that the laptop found in a Delaware repair shop in 2019 was "authenticated by people familiar with them and with the investigation." This came after an intense media suppression effort that either avoided the story when it emerged in October 2020, or labeled the news as "Russia disinformation."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}CNN and Brian Stelter were among the many media outlets that avoided discussing the Hunter Biden story, though Stelter later referenced it on Meghan Markle’s podcast.
CNN’s "Reliable Sources" briefly pivoted from a show dedicated to bashing conservative media on Sunday to become an infomercial for Hunter Biden’s new memoir. (Getty Images)
CNN executives were later caught on tape during a conference call admitting to spiking the story on the day the story was first publicized by the New York Post.
"Obviously, we're not going with the New York Post story right now on Hunter Biden," CNN Political Director David Chalian was heard saying.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}MOTHER OF HUNTER BIDEN’S CHILD PROVIDES DOCS TO DELAWARE INVESTIGATORS, DEVINE SAYS
Stelter was later torched by Washington Examiner Chief Congressional Correspondent Susan Ferrechio on BBC Radio 4's "The Media Show," for choosing to ignore the story in an apparent example of media bias.
"The bottom line is, it deserves scrutiny by all media outlets and if they pick and choose and decide it's not worth their time, I think that's showing real bias," Ferrechio said. "I think everybody deserved to look at the Mueller stuff and everyone should look at this and give Biden the scrutiny that, you know, he's not running for president of the glee club, he's running for the president of the United States and this is serious."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The New York Times on Wednesday subtly confirmed the Hunter Biden laptop story that was largely written off by mainstream news outlets as disinformation when the New York Post first reported it ahead of the 2020 presidential election and media watchdogs want to see the organizations that initially dismissed it correct their reporting. (Getty images | New York Post)
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She also accused CNN of lacking ethics, leading to an explosive confrontation with Stelter.
"How dare- don't you dare!" Stelter shouted at her. "Don't you dare act like newsrooms didn't have ethics in 2017 and 2018."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The spiking of the Hunter Biden story, especially close to the 2020 election, has been criticized as an obvious example of liberal bias, but many media outlets have continued to avoid referencing the original story. White House press secretary Jen Psaki has also repeatedly dodged any questions regarding the accuracy of Hunter Biden’s laptop.