Brian Stelter
@brianstelter.bsky.social
Media nerd. CNN chief media analyst. INSIDE THE HIVE podcast host. Author of "Network of Lies," "Hoax," and "Top of the Morning." Former Shorenstein fellow, NYT reporter and blogger.
Reposted by Brian Stelter
I wrote about the fake account blowup on X this weekend. A genuine post-truth nightmare and proof that these companies have polluted their platforms so thoroughly and traded reality for profit that they've undermined the very idea of what the internet is supposed to be.
That MAGA Account Might Be a Troll From Pakistan
How X blew up its own platform with a new location feature
www.theatlantic.com
November 24, 2025 at 4:33 PM
I wrote about the fake account blowup on X this weekend. A genuine post-truth nightmare and proof that these companies have polluted their platforms so thoroughly and traded reality for profit that they've undermined the very idea of what the internet is supposed to be.
"Influential pro-Trump X accounts that appeared to be U.S-based but actually operate from Eastern Europe, Asia, or Africa have spread 31 false claims about U.S. and global politics in the last 15 months," according to @newsguard.bsky.social www.newsguardrealitycheck.com/p/influentia...
Influential ‘U.S.’ X Accounts Spread False Claims from Abroad
NewsGuard finds that pro-MAGA X accounts operating secretly from abroad have spread 31 significant false claims in the last 15 months
www.newsguardrealitycheck.com
November 24, 2025 at 11:20 PM
"Influential pro-Trump X accounts that appeared to be U.S-based but actually operate from Eastern Europe, Asia, or Africa have spread 31 false claims about U.S. and global politics in the last 15 months," according to @newsguard.bsky.social www.newsguardrealitycheck.com/p/influentia...
Reposted by Brian Stelter
Pulling back the curtain on the Fox News machine in the latest Smartmatic lawsuit dump:
In wake of the 2020 election, Fox PR acknowledged "problematic" and "crazy" interview, with execs "screaming at @brianstelter.bsky.social" and declaring @oliverdarcy.bsky.social "dangerous" and an "absolute ass"
In wake of the 2020 election, Fox PR acknowledged "problematic" and "crazy" interview, with execs "screaming at @brianstelter.bsky.social" and declaring @oliverdarcy.bsky.social "dangerous" and an "absolute ass"
November 24, 2025 at 6:48 PM
Pulling back the curtain on the Fox News machine in the latest Smartmatic lawsuit dump:
In wake of the 2020 election, Fox PR acknowledged "problematic" and "crazy" interview, with execs "screaming at @brianstelter.bsky.social" and declaring @oliverdarcy.bsky.social "dangerous" and an "absolute ass"
In wake of the 2020 election, Fox PR acknowledged "problematic" and "crazy" interview, with execs "screaming at @brianstelter.bsky.social" and declaring @oliverdarcy.bsky.social "dangerous" and an "absolute ass"
It's an example of fighting not folding — though the fight is not without risks; an adverse ruling could further embolden the WH.
In the meantime, AP photographers continue to see Trump frequently, while AP reporters have much less regular access. The president wants photos, but not unpleasant Q's.
In the meantime, AP photographers continue to see Trump frequently, while AP reporters have much less regular access. The president wants photos, but not unpleasant Q's.
November 24, 2025 at 3:22 PM
It's an example of fighting not folding — though the fight is not without risks; an adverse ruling could further embolden the WH.
In the meantime, AP photographers continue to see Trump frequently, while AP reporters have much less regular access. The president wants photos, but not unpleasant Q's.
In the meantime, AP photographers continue to see Trump frequently, while AP reporters have much less regular access. The president wants photos, but not unpleasant Q's.
AP editor Julie Pace says it's a fight "for the right of the press and public to speak freely without being targeted by their government based on its preferences."
"We strongly believe this case could have much wider implications, not only for other news organizations, but for anyone in America."
"We strongly believe this case could have much wider implications, not only for other news organizations, but for anyone in America."
OpEd: Executive Editor Julie Pace on why AP is standing for your right to speak freely
The executive editor of The Associated Press says the news organization is fighting for the right of the press and public to speak freely without being targeted by the government.
apnews.com
November 24, 2025 at 3:22 PM
AP editor Julie Pace says it's a fight "for the right of the press and public to speak freely without being targeted by their government based on its preferences."
"We strongly believe this case could have much wider implications, not only for other news organizations, but for anyone in America."
"We strongly believe this case could have much wider implications, not only for other news organizations, but for anyone in America."
A federal judge sided with The AP back in April, citing the First Amendment, but the Trump admin appealed, and a US Court of Appeals panel paused the order. That's why The AP's lawyers are back in court this morning for oral arguments before a new appeals court panel.
November 24, 2025 at 3:22 PM
A federal judge sided with The AP back in April, citing the First Amendment, but the Trump admin appealed, and a US Court of Appeals panel paused the order. That's why The AP's lawyers are back in court this morning for oral arguments before a new appeals court panel.
The Associated Press is continuing to challenge the Trump admin in court over President Trump's attempt to bar the newswire from events unless/until it agrees to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America." A hearing is underway in DC right now 🧵
November 24, 2025 at 3:22 PM
The Associated Press is continuing to challenge the Trump admin in court over President Trump's attempt to bar the newswire from events unless/until it agrees to refer to the Gulf of Mexico as the "Gulf of America." A hearing is underway in DC right now 🧵
Reposted by Brian Stelter
“AP photographers continue to see Trump frequently, while AP reporters have much less regular access. The president wants the photos, but not the pesky questions...”
@brianstelter.bsky.social
view.newsletters.cnn.com/messages/176...
@brianstelter.bsky.social
view.newsletters.cnn.com/messages/176...
Hey, good morning. President Trump is concerned about the FCC's ownership cap review, RFK Jr. is on the cover of The Atlantic, and Google's Gemini 3 model is the talk of the tech industry. Let's get to it...
view.newsletters.cnn.com
November 24, 2025 at 2:10 PM
“AP photographers continue to see Trump frequently, while AP reporters have much less regular access. The president wants the photos, but not the pesky questions...”
@brianstelter.bsky.social
view.newsletters.cnn.com/messages/176...
@brianstelter.bsky.social
view.newsletters.cnn.com/messages/176...
⚖️ This morning's Reliable Sources lead: The AP and the BBC are facing high-stakes hearings today... cnn.it/3XNXZKy
November 24, 2025 at 2:06 PM
⚖️ This morning's Reliable Sources lead: The AP and the BBC are facing high-stakes hearings today... cnn.it/3XNXZKy
Trump just deflated weeks, no, *months* of incredibly hostile Fox News and MAGA media commentary about @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social.
November 21, 2025 at 10:25 PM
Trump just deflated weeks, no, *months* of incredibly hostile Fox News and MAGA media commentary about @zohrankmamdani.bsky.social.
Reposted by Brian Stelter
The stuff Trump and Mamdani agree on is basically the median voter agenda.
November 21, 2025 at 10:24 PM
The stuff Trump and Mamdani agree on is basically the median voter agenda.
CNN’s owner weighs bids; Kimmel makes Trump an offer; Meta tests daily briefing
➕ much more in today's Reliable Sources digest: cnn.it/3Mghh8P
➕ much more in today's Reliable Sources digest: cnn.it/3Mghh8P
November 21, 2025 at 3:18 PM
CNN’s owner weighs bids; Kimmel makes Trump an offer; Meta tests daily briefing
➕ much more in today's Reliable Sources digest: cnn.it/3Mghh8P
➕ much more in today's Reliable Sources digest: cnn.it/3Mghh8P
Former VP Dick Cheney's funeral is underway. CNN and MS NOW are providing special, dedicated live coverage. Fox News is not. (Fox's anchor says she'll show George W. Bush's eulogy when it happens. The other channels are showing all the moving tributes.)
November 20, 2025 at 4:47 PM
Former VP Dick Cheney's funeral is underway. CNN and MS NOW are providing special, dedicated live coverage. Fox News is not. (Fox's anchor says she'll show George W. Bush's eulogy when it happens. The other channels are showing all the moving tributes.)
Reposted by Brian Stelter
👇👇👇
Jodie Ginsburg: “We need to stand up to those people who want to attack press freedom and attack journalists. It's going to require us not just to celebrate the courage of others, but to be courageous ourselves."
Via @brianstelter.bsky.social
view.newsletters.cnn.com/messages/176...
Jodie Ginsburg: “We need to stand up to those people who want to attack press freedom and attack journalists. It's going to require us not just to celebrate the courage of others, but to be courageous ourselves."
Via @brianstelter.bsky.social
view.newsletters.cnn.com/messages/176...
Good morning! Here's the latest on Brendan Carr, CNN, Fox News, Jimmy Kimmel, Adam O'Neal, Ian Mohr, Letterboxd, and more...
view.newsletters.cnn.com
November 20, 2025 at 3:03 PM
👇👇👇
Jodie Ginsburg: “We need to stand up to those people who want to attack press freedom and attack journalists. It's going to require us not just to celebrate the courage of others, but to be courageous ourselves."
Via @brianstelter.bsky.social
view.newsletters.cnn.com/messages/176...
Jodie Ginsburg: “We need to stand up to those people who want to attack press freedom and attack journalists. It's going to require us not just to celebrate the courage of others, but to be courageous ourselves."
Via @brianstelter.bsky.social
view.newsletters.cnn.com/messages/176...
Reposted by Brian Stelter
November 20, 2025 at 3:44 PM
As I wrote in today's Reliable Sources newsletter, even the mere perception of corporate meddling can do damage — a lesson that CNN staffers internalized a few years ago. As always, journalists just want to do their jobs, free of partisan interference. (cnn.it/4oan4tY)
November 20, 2025 at 3:38 PM
As I wrote in today's Reliable Sources newsletter, even the mere perception of corporate meddling can do damage — a lesson that CNN staffers internalized a few years ago. As always, journalists just want to do their jobs, free of partisan interference. (cnn.it/4oan4tY)
Lowell doesn't name the WH official, but says they "engaged in a dialogue about possibly axing some of the CNN hosts whom Donald Trump is said to loathe."
Was it stray chatter or a serious conversation? Impossible to know. But this report intensifies what is already an awkward situation...
Was it stray chatter or a serious conversation? Impossible to know. But this report intensifies what is already an awkward situation...
November 20, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Lowell doesn't name the WH official, but says they "engaged in a dialogue about possibly axing some of the CNN hosts whom Donald Trump is said to loathe."
Was it stray chatter or a serious conversation? Impossible to know. But this report intensifies what is already an awkward situation...
Was it stray chatter or a serious conversation? Impossible to know. But this report intensifies what is already an awkward situation...
"Senior White House officials have discussed internally their preference for Paramount" to win the WBD bidding war, and "and one official has discussed potential programming changes at CNN with Larry Ellison, the largest shareholder of Paramount," @hugolowell.bsky.social reports.
November 20, 2025 at 3:38 PM
"Senior White House officials have discussed internally their preference for Paramount" to win the WBD bidding war, and "and one official has discussed potential programming changes at CNN with Larry Ellison, the largest shareholder of Paramount," @hugolowell.bsky.social reports.
When the WBD "for sale" sign went up last month, CNN journalists wondered if a Paramount takeover would affect CNN's independence. The worries were largely speculative, though some of us have seen this movie before. Now a new Guardian report is making it specific and explicit:
Larry Ellison discussed axing CNN hosts with White House in takeover bid talks
Exclusive: Senior officials indicated favorability toward Paramount Skydance acquiring Warner Bros Discovery
www.theguardian.com
November 20, 2025 at 3:38 PM
When the WBD "for sale" sign went up last month, CNN journalists wondered if a Paramount takeover would affect CNN's independence. The worries were largely speculative, though some of us have seen this movie before. Now a new Guardian report is making it specific and explicit:
Background: Last month I quoted a source saying that Paramount CEO David Ellison has "the Trump card." People in Ellison's camp are arguing that Paramount is the only bidder who will pass muster with the Trump administration. (Though European regulators would be involved, too.)
David Ellison may have a ‘Trump card’ — literally — in Warner Bros. Discovery pursuit | CNN Business
The Paramount Skydance CEO is “undeterred” after WBD rebuffed his first three offers, sources say, and Ellison’s allies are privately arguing he’s the only buyer who’d pass muster with Trump administr...
www.cnn.com
November 20, 2025 at 3:38 PM
Background: Last month I quoted a source saying that Paramount CEO David Ellison has "the Trump card." People in Ellison's camp are arguing that Paramount is the only bidder who will pass muster with the Trump administration. (Though European regulators would be involved, too.)
🧵 Today is the deadline for suitors eyeing Warner Bros. Discovery (CNN's parent) to submit their first-round, non-binding bids for all or part of the media giant. Paramount is reportedly the only bidder trying to buy the entire company. And there's a newsy new story about Paramount >>>
November 20, 2025 at 3:38 PM
🧵 Today is the deadline for suitors eyeing Warner Bros. Discovery (CNN's parent) to submit their first-round, non-binding bids for all or part of the media giant. Paramount is reportedly the only bidder trying to buy the entire company. And there's a newsy new story about Paramount >>>
Reposted by Brian Stelter
Good morning. I've got a banger new post out today that develops a new method for placing voters on the left-right ideological spectrum, and adds a new, "non-ideological"/affordability axis to usual way we chart & think about US voters (esp swing voters). www.gelliottmorris.com/p/not-just-l...
Not just left vs right: Most voters think about affordability and material wellbeing, not in ideological terms
Most voters want a party that emphasizes cost of living issues and makes the world a better place. Few Americans think in solidly ideologically terms. "Moderates" are mostly non-ideological.
www.gelliottmorris.com
November 20, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Good morning. I've got a banger new post out today that develops a new method for placing voters on the left-right ideological spectrum, and adds a new, "non-ideological"/affordability axis to usual way we chart & think about US voters (esp swing voters). www.gelliottmorris.com/p/not-just-l...
Reposted by Brian Stelter
NEW: Elon Musk's Grokipedia cites a neo-Nazi website 42 times, researchers say www.nbcnews.com/tech/elon-mu...
Elon Musk’s Grokipedia cites Stormfront — a neo-Nazi forum — dozens of times, study finds
An analysis by researchers at Cornell University is the first comprehensive look at Grokipedia since Musk launched his project last month.
www.nbcnews.com
November 20, 2025 at 3:22 PM
NEW: Elon Musk's Grokipedia cites a neo-Nazi website 42 times, researchers say www.nbcnews.com/tech/elon-mu...
"We need to stand up to those people who want to attack press freedom and attack journalists. It's going to require us not just to celebrate the courage of others, but to be courageous ourselves."
—CPJ president @jodieginsberg.bsky.social in today's Reliable Sources newsletter: cnn.it/4oan4tY
—CPJ president @jodieginsberg.bsky.social in today's Reliable Sources newsletter: cnn.it/4oan4tY
November 20, 2025 at 3:26 PM
"We need to stand up to those people who want to attack press freedom and attack journalists. It's going to require us not just to celebrate the courage of others, but to be courageous ourselves."
—CPJ president @jodieginsberg.bsky.social in today's Reliable Sources newsletter: cnn.it/4oan4tY
—CPJ president @jodieginsberg.bsky.social in today's Reliable Sources newsletter: cnn.it/4oan4tY
Today's Reliable Sources lead: Trump is especially jumpy about Epstein questions. cnn.it/44jTZoJ
November 19, 2025 at 4:41 PM
Today's Reliable Sources lead: Trump is especially jumpy about Epstein questions. cnn.it/44jTZoJ