Fox News contributor Joe Concha called out CNN anchor Brian Stelter for his past actions at the network, which he will depart in the coming days.
Stelter is set to depart the network due to the upcoming cancellation of his Sunday show, “Reliable Sources,” on Aug. 21. Concha told “Fox & Friends” on Friday that Stelter “sealed his own fate” after targeting a top executive at Discovery, the company that took ownership of CNN following its merger with Warner Bros.
“Well, we could see this firing coming from 10 miles away, guys. I mean, Brian Stelter sealed his own fate when he, you know, somehow thinking he was untouchable, attacked a very important person at Discovery with what one can only call hubris and sanctimony,” Concha said.
Stelter criticized Liberty Media chairman John Malone for suggesting CNN revert to nonpartisan coverage once the Warner Bros. Discover merger was finalized. The “Reliable Sources” anchor accused Malone of “watching talking heads and reading columnists who complain about CNN” in a February newsletter. (RELATED: Brian Stelter To Depart CNN)
“The people who say the Zucker-era CNN was lacking in real journalism clearly were not watching CNN directly. My best guess is that they were watching talking heads and reading columnists complain about CNN. And yes, I’m including John Malone in this,” Stelter wrote in his media newsletter.
Concha called the anchor’s claim “laughable,” criticizing CNN’s partisan coverage during the Trump-era and beyond.
“So who’s John Malone? He’s Discovery’s largest shareholder and one of the most powerful people in Stelter’s incoming orbit, and this media correspondent basically calls him a misinformed idiot in public while making the laughable claim that the Zucker-era featured real journalism and not the hyper-partisan, patronizing, and quite frankly, cheesy performance art that we witnessed from some CNN talent over the last seven years,” Concha continued.
The contributor added that Stelter ignored a number of major stories because it did not fit his show’s narrative, but instead narrowed his focus to Fox News, former President Donald Trump and conservative media. Concha recommended that the network erase the opinionated anchors and return to straight, bipartisan reporting.
CNN President Chris Licht has strived to steer away from partisan commentary to increase the network’s bipartisan coverage. In this process, Licht evaluated Stelter and other anchors to decide whether they have the ability to fulfill his goals for the network.