Brian Stelter
@brianstelter.bsky.social
Media nerd. CNN chief media analyst. INSIDE THE HIVE podcast host. Author of "Network of Lies," "Hoax," and "Top of the Morning." Former Shorenstein fellow, NYT reporter and blogger.
Just like @brianstelter.bsky.social predicted last night - Trump won't fire Pirro; he'll keep her around and torture her for the sin of publicly proving him a liar.
MeidasTouch@meidastouch.com · 12h agoQ: Are you going to keep Jeanine Pirro? Trump: I haven’t made a decision.
“But [David Ellison’s] first year owning CBS News has been defined by ratings struggles, shakeups and controversies, mostly stemming from his appointment of Weiss as editor-in-chief. …But I don’t hear anyone making the case that CBS News has earned back a whole lot of trust.”
Brian Stelter@brianstelter.bsky.social · yesterdayToday's Reliable Sources lead: A new pledge — and maybe a new proposal — about CNN's independence www.cnn.com/newsletters/...
In today's Reliable Sources: Disney is touting a deal with TikTok; The New York Times is dealing with a subscriber growth slowdown; and Tucker Carlson is teasing a big announcement… www.cnn.com/newsletters/...
On Ezra Klein’s show the other day, Maggie Haberman said that if someone could make a chart of President Trump’s “mind share,” “70 percent of it would be on his renovations.”
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Antitrust showdown: A federal judge has set a March 2027 trial date for the twin challenges to Paramount's acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery. Here's my full story: www.cnn.com/2026/08/04/m...
“.. Fox News only covered the dispute once on Monday, for under a minute ..” @cnn.com @brianstelter.bsky.social www.cnn.com/2026/08/03/m...
I asked if @agrobbonta.oag.ca.gov's office has a response to Paramount CEO David Ellison's op-ed. A spokesperson says: "As Attorney General Bonta has consistently made clear, our challenge to the Warner Bros./Paramount merger is a clear-cut antitrust case. This merger is unlawful under federal law."
In a remarkable guest essay for the NYT this morning, Paramount CEO David Ellison goes there: "I believe this fight is not really about market share... The issue is whether I can be trusted as a steward of Warner's CNN." www.nytimes.com/2026/08/04/o...
Opinion | David Ellison: In Defense of the Paramount-Warner Deal
The issue is whether I can be trusted as a steward of CNN
nytimes.com
Quick question for you @brianstelter.bsky.social after reading David Ellison in his op-ed this morning. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/04/o... Are legends like Ted Turner and Edward R. Murrow known for their middleness?
Today's Reliable Sources lead: A new pledge — and maybe a new proposal — about CNN's independence www.cnn.com/newsletters/...
Hey, good morning. Ari Emanuel is floating an “editorial board” to oversee CNN. Scroll down for my new reporting about what that might mean. Plus, the latest on “60 Minutes,” Jeanine Pirro, The Economist, Snap, and more…
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President Trump's crazed claims about the Reflecting Pool were a ready-made Fox News story, repeatedly embraced by hosts like Jesse Watters. But now the story has fallen apart, and Fox is barely interested... www.cnn.com/newsletters/...
Happy Monday. Here’s the latest on Scott Pelley, Sharyn Alfonsi, Savannah Guthrie, John Oliver, Bari Weiss, Chuck Todd, Ariana Grande and more. But first:
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NYT: "A freelance reporter has been fighting a subpoena from the Trump administration seeking to force him to reveal his sources for a New York Times article about a failed top secret mission in North Korea, according to people familiar with the matter." www.nytimes.com/2026/08/01/u...
Justice Dept. Subpoenas Times Freelancer in Effort to Identify Sources
A previously undisclosed subpoena, involving reporting on a failed SEAL Team 6 mission in North Korea, reflects the government’s expanding campaign to investigate leaks of secrets.
nytimes.com
Today's Reliable Sources lead: New talk of "resuscitation" for Voice of America www.cnn.com/newsletters/...
TGIF. Here are some excellent weekend reads about AI, Larry Ellison, “literary counterculture,” Elon Musk, Ella Langley and more. But first…
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Trump's FCC targeted ABC. Viewers rushed to its defense. My latest: www.cnn.com/2026/07/30/m...
Trump’s FCC targeted ABC. Viewers rushed to its defense | CNN Business
The eight local ABC television stations targeted by President Donald Trump’s Federal Communications Commission have generated a staggering amount of public support in recent weeks.
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Today's Reliable Sources lead: The most consequential disconnect in American media today is the disconnect between left-wing voters and the “legacy” media. www.cnn.com/newsletters/...
TGIT. Here’s the latest on Mark Zuckerberg, Disney’s FCC fight, Alex Jones, Elon Musk, HuffPost, Byron Allen, “The Walking Dead,” BTS and more…
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From CNN's new poll: Fully half of Americans now strongly disapprove of Trump, "a high across his terms," while just 15% strongly approve, "a record low." www.cnn.com/2026/07/29/p...
CNN Poll: Americans doubt Trump is paying enough attention to the country’s most important problems | CNN Politics
A record-high 73% of US adults say that President Donald Trump hasn’t paid enough attention to the country’s most important problems, a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS finds, with just 27% saying he’s ...
cnn.com
Today's Reliable Sources lead: One year after President Trump signed the bill rescinding all federal funding for CPB, neither the greatest fears of public media fans nor the greatest hopes of detractors have come true. PBS and NPR are still alive and kicking... www.cnn.com/newsletters/...
“They’re sort of gone now, I guess,” Trump said in January. “I heard they’re closed up.”
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Paramount "made its acquisition of Warner Bros. Discovery political," @rohangoswami.bsky.social writes, and now he senses some regrets: "Some executives have conceded that they may have gone a little too far trying to ingratiate themselves with the president." www.semafor.com/newsletter/0...
🟡 Semafor Media: Promoting authenticity | Semafor
In tonight’s edition: A California senator aims to slow the spread of undisclosed influencer ads after his state’s wild primary.
semafor.com
Today's Reliable Sources lead: President Trump doesn’t hold many rallies anymore. So some of the best views into his psyche come from posting sprees on Truth Social and unusual settings like the White House Correspondents’ Dinner... www.cnn.com/newsletters/...
With an acknowledgment that many Americans prefer not to look anymore, here’s what I see: A president trying (and failing) to bully people with lines and lies that seem straight out of a time warp.
cnn.com
One could write a PhD thesis about this quote.
Brian Stelter@brianstelter.bsky.social · 2w agoTrump’s low energy last night led more than one TV executive to muse that the president had stumbled upon a new technique against the media: Tank the ratings with a snoozefest of a speech. www.cnn.com/2026/07/25/m...
This morning feels ripe for a special Saturday edition of Reliable Sources. So here it is: www.cnn.com/newsletters/...
Good morning. President Trump’s speech to the White House Correspondents’ Association was many things, but mostly it was just boring. And boring is one thing Trump never, ever wants to be. So before we digest the controversial dinner, let’s delve into the Paramount delay…
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Trump’s low energy last night led more than one TV executive to muse that the president had stumbled upon a new technique against the media: Tank the ratings with a snoozefest of a speech. www.cnn.com/2026/07/25/m...
Trump bombed at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner — and proved its point | CNN Business
President Donald Trump bombed at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner Friday night. He knew he was bombing, too, and he even tried to meta-joke his way out of it.
cnn.com
“In a rambling hour-long speech, Trump insulted journalists by name, repurposed old nicknames for political opponents, made a strange number of fat jokes that weren’t funny at all, and sounded mad at his unnamed writers for giving him weak material to work with.” Oof.
Brian Stelter@brianstelter.bsky.social · 2w agoSome of Trump's remarks were "vicious," as press secretary Karoline Leavitt promised. But more than anything, his speech was just… boring. And boring is one thing Trump never, ever wants to be. My analysis for CNN: www.cnn.com/2026/07/25/m...
Some of Trump's remarks were "vicious," as press secretary Karoline Leavitt promised. But more than anything, his speech was just… boring. And boring is one thing Trump never, ever wants to be. My analysis for CNN: www.cnn.com/2026/07/25/m...
Trump bombed at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner — and proved its point | CNN Business
President Donald Trump bombed at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner Friday night. He knew he was bombing, too, and he even tried to meta-joke his way out of it.
cnn.com
Trump bombed at the WHCA dinner. He knew he was bombing, too, and he even tried to meta-joke his way out of it. But even his jokes about his bad jokes fell flat, and he was widely ridiculed for the comedy routine. Thank the First Amendment. www.cnn.com/2026/07/25/m...
Trump bombed at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner — and proved its point | CNN Business
President Donald Trump bombed at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner Friday night. He knew he was bombing, too, and he even tried to meta-joke his way out of it.
cnn.com
Let's try this again. CNN's special TV coverage of the WHCA dinner is underway, led by John Berman and Laura Coates, the same pair who were anchoring on that night in April when the shooting upended everything. I'm joining the coverage before and after Trump's speech
Amid renewed strikes in Iran and the recent deaths of U.S. service members, the Pentagon hasn’t held a news briefing to answer questions for 2 1/2 months, a @cnn.com analysis found.
Wartime Pentagon goes two-plus months without media briefing
The Pentagon hasn’t held a news conference for 2 1/2 months, leaving renewed airstrikes with Iran and recent deaths of …
pressfreedomtracker.us
Brian Stelter@brianstelter.bsky.social · 2w agoMany questions, very few answers about the deaths of two U.S. servicemembers in Jordan. The Pentagon is clearly trying to keep a tight lid on what happened — reflective of a larger effort to control information, limit access and avoid questions about the war
California AG Rob Bonta tells Jake Tapper that "we are likely to make a request to have trial in 2027, which is very appropriate based on the expert discovery that needs to happen... before a trial can and should go forward."
Today's delay to the Paramount-WBD deal means that, as a practical matter, Paramount will not take control of CNN before the midterm election in the U.S. >>>
Breaking: Paramount says that its takeover of CNN’s parent, Warner Bros. Discovery, will be delayed for many months, and potentially well into 2027. This is a major setback for Paramount that adds to the cloud of doubt hovering over the controversial deal. My full story: www.cnn.com/2026/07/24/m...
Today's Reliable Sources lead: Tonight, Trump dines again with the press. What's on the menu? www.cnn.com/newsletters/...
TGIF! Here’s the latest on The New York Times, “The Morning Show,” Forbes, Wasserman, HuffPost, Patreon, and more…
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