Oliver Darcy Leaves CNN To Launch Media Newsletter ‘Status’
UPDATED, with CNN comment: Oliver Darcy, who has been the top media reporter for CNN and author of its Reliable Sources newsletter, is departing the network and launching his own newsletter.
In an email sent out today, Darcy introduced Status, which will land in inboxes each evening.
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“Drawing on a deep well of sourcing and industry expertise, Status delivers hard-hitting reporting and unflinching analysis on the Fourth Estate, Hollywood, and Silicon Valley,” Darcy wrote. “There will be no sugarcoating, no pulling punches, no sparing sensitive egos – just the unvarnished truth about the companies and individuals who shape our world.”
The newsletter will be a subscription offering but also seeking advertising support. “Status is proudly independent and relies on its readers’ for support,” the email read.
“In nearly a decade on the beat, seven years of which were for CNN, Darcy has built a reputation for consistently delivering consequential scoops and must-read insight that pulls back the curtain on the industry,” the email read. “His work is well-read by those who make up the industry, and for news chiefs, Hollywood bosses, tech executives, top political figures, and all those who seek a deeper understanding of the media landscape.”
Darcy, who joined CNN in 2017, became the key media reporter at the network and author of the Reliable Sources newsletter after the departure of Brian Stelter. Then-CNN CEO Chris Licht had canceled Stelter’s Sunday show, Reliable Sources. Darcy’s reporting at times took on the editorial decisions of his own bosses, including Licht’s decision to host a town hall with former President Donald Trump and, more recently, the decisions to give Trump uninterrupted airtime where he could spread misinformation.
Darcy was previously the politics editor for Business Insider and deputy managing editor of The Blaze.
The CNN newsletter will go on a break but will return in the fall with a new writer, the network said.
CNN Worldwide CEO Mark Thompson said in a statement, “Oliver has established himself as a tough but scrupulously fair leading voice in media reporting and commentary – never afraid to call it as he sees it. He has been a great shepherd of CNN’s Reliable Sources newsletter, and we wish him every success in his new entrepreneurial adventure.”
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