Ex-Labor Sec. Robert Reich rages against CNN for canceling Brian Stelter's show

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Brian Stelter says goodbye to CNN media show 'Reliable Sources'

Brian Stelter hosted the final episode of CNN's media show "Reliable Sources" on Sunday.

Ex-Labor Secretary Robert Reich fumed on Wednesday that CNN’s now defunct "Reliable Sources" show with Brian Stelter was "commercially successful" and blessed with "good ratings," but was only canceled because of the interference of right-wing billionaires. 

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

"Licht has told staff they should stop referring to [Donald] Trump’s 'Big Lie' because the phrase sounds like a Democratic Party talking point. Licht also wants more conservative guests," Reich wrote in The Guardian. "What’s motivating Licht? Follow the money."

Reich, who served in the Bill Clinton administration and is an outspoken progressive, turned to Warner Bros. Discovery, Inc., which now owns CNN. Fox News Digital has reported on the efforts by Licht to restore its news-first reputation that critics say it abandoned under Jeff Zucker. Warner Brothers Discovery CEO David Zaslav said this summer he wanted CNN to be a network for "everybody," including Republicans and Democrats. 

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

BRIAN STELTER HOSTS FINAL 'RELIABLE SOURCES' SHOW ON CNN: 'THE FREE WORLD NEEDS A RELIABLE SOURCE'

Reich dismissed the idea of this new company repositioning, arguing that CNN’s coverage will not satisfy Republicans who move "further rightward into the netherworld of authoritarianism."

Moving higher up the money trail, Reich claimed that Zaslav was largely beholden to the whims of John Malone, the leading shareholder in Warner Bros. Discovery.

"When you follow the money behind deeply irresponsible decisions at the power centers of America today, the road often leads to right wing billionaires," Reich opined. 

He further claimed that Stelter’s cancellation was somehow the result of a newsletter in which he wrote that Malone’s calls last year for "actual journalism" at CNN could stifle journalists at the network. Stelter, at the time, feared that such comments could steer CNN away from "calling out indecency and injustice."

BRIAN STELTER REMAINS DEFIANT AS FINAL 'RELIABLE SOURCES' DOUBLES DOWN ON WHAT CRITICS SAY GOT IT CANCELED

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

"Sadly, there are still many in America — and not just billionaires like Malone — who believe that holding Trump accountable for what he has done (and continues to do) to this country is a form of partisanship, and that such partisanship has no place in so-called 'balanced journalism.' This view is itself dangerous," Reich concluded. 

The viewership of "Reliable Sources" has been less than exemplary since Trump left the Oval Office, despite the claims of Reich. 

In August, the show was down a staggering 41% among the advertiser-coveted demographic of adults age 25-54 compared to the same month last year. For the year, Stelter’s program shed 26% of its 2021 total audience and 34% among the key demo. 2022 was also the lowest-rated year among the demo for "Reliable Sources" since before Trump took office.

Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich speaks to Occupy Cal demonstrators in support of Occupy Wall Street in Berkeley, California, Nov. 15, 2011. (Reuters/Stephen Lam?)

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Fox News' Joseph A. Wulfsohn contributed to this report.