In a move that felt like an inevitability, longtime media maven Brian Stelter is making his return this month to the airwaves and to CNN. In an announcement made to subscribers of the “Reliable Sources” newsletter (something I missed initially, as the previous overlord of that release had cut off my subscription), Stelter trumpeted his return to the fold. This appeared to be something on the horizon, given Brian’s frequent guest appearances made over the past few months.

There was some intrigue as to how this facet of CNN was going to be maintained. It was just weeks ago that Oliver Darcy made his departure known, as he was embarking on a solo subscription project, and CNN was said to be placing the newsletter on hiatus for an undisclosed period of time. Now Brian has let it be known that he will be operating back under that moniker but in some vaguely different ways.

• This is not going to be a "Back to the Future" remake. The media industry has matured, CNN has evolved, and I have changed a lot since I signed off two years ago. I'm returning to CNN in a brand new role as Chief Media Analyst, which means I'll be appearing on air, developing digital content, and helming this newsletter. It will be different, because I am different.

While these differences remain to be realized, call us at least slightly dubious that things will be significantly altered from the Stelter content we have come to know — for two reasons. During his time away from CNN, he has been a columnist at Vanity Fair, has freelanced work at a number of outlets, and has been making the rounds on various news channels. 

One was seen in Stelter being looked at as a “media expert” to help massage the industry’s image in the wake of the Biden debate meltdown. That mushroom cloud of a performance from Biden completely exposed the press, as they had spent months (years) covering up Biden’s debilitating mind, and in the weeks ahead of the debate, they were lashing out at anyone daring to show Biden’s true condition. Then he flamed out live on camera, and all the lies from the news outlets were exposed.

The problem with turning to Stelter for image rehabilitation: He was part of the deflection squad. Brian was promoting Glenn Kessler (talk about crossing the streams) as he gave an alleged debunking of the — once again — accurate coverage of Biden slipping mentally. Here he was, working to dismiss the ACCURATE portrayals of Biden as being “out of context” representations of the foundering president.

Two Bidens: Some of us are watching long, complete speeches by the president. Others just watching short, out of context clips on social media. Two audiences are seeing two very different reflections. pic.twitter.com/fg8Sle9qpK

— Brian Stelter (@brianstelter) June 19, 2024

The second was seen after Biden’s demise, as Brian made the rounds and tried to sell the concept that the press was not pushing falsehoods but was duped by an administration that shielded Biden’s condition. He penned a lengthy explainer at Vox, essentially saying, “It’s complicated,” detailing the intricacies of the journalists covering the White House to send up a smokescreen, excusing their sloth and prevarications.

This has long been Stelter’s stock in trade. In the past, people described what Brian did on his show as serving as a media Hall Monitor, but this was not accurate. He does not work as a media critic but more like the custodian. When there have been blatant and obvious screw-ups seen in the news media – items deserving of true criticism, if not outright condemnation – Stelter was more likely to lend excuses. 

The example that typifies his approach was seen when the Fake News story about border agents whipping immigrants was all the rage, especially on his own network. Even in the days after it was shown to be a false incident, CNN still had people on the air detailing the whipping had taken place. So by that Sunday, there was Stelter and his ward, Oliver Darcy, explaining it away as the travails of covering a breaking story, and then applauding those who reported on the lie for eventually getting the facts and reporting on it accurately.

After the press screwed the pooch in a big way over the false border agents whipping migrants stories, what did the media watchdog have to say in a critical manner?
Not much at all, really...https://t.co/ufnGwk2T9s

— Brad Slager - Folksy as Walz & Joyful As a K-Hive! (@MartiniShark) September 28, 2021

Note that this excusal is something he would NEVER afford to Fox News. Ah yes…Fox. Brian’s keen obsession over the years. Has he outgrown that particular focus and imbalanced application of critiques to the network he reviles so ardently? In a pair of words: Hell no.

In his time away, Stelter managed to write a second book about his preferred media target. It was one that garnered little attention in terms of sales (he moved less than 4,000 copies), but he did just well enough to warrant the publication of a paperback release — and just in time for the election season! Clearly, this is being done to try to earn back some of the advance they must have lost on the poor sales. 

So, will we see some new version of Brian Stelter and his trademarked fractured approach to media coverage? Unlike himself and the journalists he protects on the regular, we are going to need to see some actual proof before we report that things are, in fact, different,