UPDATED, with CNN commentary: Oliver Darcy, former chief media reporter at CNN and author of the newsletter “Reliable Sources,” is leaving the station and starting his own.
In an email sent today, Darcy introduced Status, which will land in inboxes every evening.
“Drawing on a wide range of sources and industry expertise, Status delivers hard-hitting reporting and brutal analysis of the Fourth Estate, Hollywood and Silicon Valley,” Darcy wrote. “Nothing is sugarcoated, nothing is held back, no egos are spared – just the unvarnished truth about the companies and people who shape our world.”
The newsletter is offered as a subscription, but will also be supported by advertising. “Status is proud of its independence and relies on the support of its readers,” the email states.
“In nearly a decade of service, including seven years at CNN, Darcy has built a reputation for consistently delivering major scoops and indispensable insights that lift the curtain on the industry,” the email said. “His work is widely read by those who make up the industry, as well as news executives, Hollywood bosses, tech executives, top politicians and anyone seeking a deeper understanding of the media landscape.”
Darcy, who joined CNN in 2017, became the network’s primary media reporter and author of the Reliable Sources newsletter after Brian Stelter left, after then-CNN CEO Chris Licht canceled Stelter’s Sunday show. Reliable sourceDarcy’s reporting at times adopted the editorial decisions of his own bosses, including Licht’s decision to host a town hall meeting with former President Donald Trump and, more recently, the decision to give Trump uninterrupted airtime in which to spread misinformation.
Darcy was previously politics editor at Business Insider and deputy editor of The Blaze.
The CNN newsletter will take a break but will return in the fall with a new author, the broadcaster said.
Mark Thompson, CEO of CNN Worldwide, said in a statement: “Oliver has established himself as a tough but fiercely fair leading voice in media reporting and commentary – and is never afraid to call a spade a spade. He has been a great shepherd of CNN’s Reliable Sources newsletter and we wish him every success in his new entrepreneurial adventure.”
