Oliver Darcy Parts Ways With CNN, Launches New Media Venture

Media reporter Oliver Darcy has left his post at the helm of CNN’s Reliable Sources newsletter to launch his own media venture.

Darcy, 33, announced the career move on Aug. 8 via social media.

“Some personal news, as they say: I am launching my own media venture, Status, which will chronicle the Fourth Estate, Hollywood, and Silicon Valley,” he wrote on Meta’s Threads platform.

Reliable Sources was founded in 2015 by CNN host Brian Stelter, who left the network in 2022. Darcy has helped lead the newsletter since 2020.

Fans of the widely read newsletter can expect similar content from Darcy’s version—for a fee.

The subscription-based newsletter offers free access to its weekend edition and limited previews of its nightly edition. Those who want total access will have to pay a $14.95 monthly fee (or $149.95 annually), while such “elite” perks as invites to Zoom calls and events will cost $595 per year.

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In return, the publication promises “a mix of hard-hitting reporting and no-holds-barred analysis” of the media giants who rule over Hollywood, Big Tech, and America’s newsrooms.

Responding to the news of Darcy’s departure, CNN Deputy Managing Editor Jon Passantino praised his former colleague’s “tireless and brave work.”

“Holding media executives to account, including those in your own house, is not for the faint of heart. I will miss our countless late nights stressing over every word in the newsletter, but thrilled for Oliver and his new venture [Status],” Passantino wrote on Threads.

A CNN spokesperson told The Epoch Times that Reliable Sources will continue under new leadership in the fall after a summer break.

Darcy’s exit comes at a tumultuous time for CNN amid CEO Mark Thompson’s restructuring efforts, which resulted in 100 employee layoffs last month.

Thompson is looking to boost revenues and expand the embattled network’s audience with the help of an “ambitious” new digital strategy. Part of that strategy involves subscription-based content, including videos.

The company’s last foray into paid content did not end well. Just one month after launch, in April 2022, the network was forced to shut down its CNN+ streaming service due to a lack of interest.

Thompson, a veteran media executive, was appointed to replace his ousted predecessor, Chris Licht, in August 2023 and assumed the role in October. Since then, he has called for the “drastic modernization” of CNN’s website as well as other changes.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.