No one loves a good media party more than Brian Stelter, and scores of New York-based news personalities, executives and the people who cover them turned out to support the former CNN anchor (and TVNewser founder) on Wednesday night in celebration of his new Fox News-focused book, Network of Lies.
The party was held on the same day that Rupert Murdoch officially stepped down from his role as chairman of News Corp, something Stelter noted in his remarks to the partygoers. A coincidence? Not so sure.
For his newest title, Stelter provides an account of Fox News’ role in the conspiracy to steal the 2020 presidential election, the Jan. 6 insurrection on the U.S. Capitol, the company’s Dominion Voting Systems defamation lawsuit and subsequent $787.5 million pay-out, as well as Tucker Carlson’s dismissal from the network shortly thereafter. Carlson is a major figure throughout the book (we’ll let you, our reader, check it out for yourself).
The event was held at Michael’s Restaurant on W. 55th Street in Manhattan, a longtime haunt for the New York media. In addition to Stelter and his wife NY 1 host Jamie Stelter, high-profile media figures we spotted at the party included former CNN president Jeff Zucker and former CNN communications chief Allison Gollust; CNN chief operating officer David Leavy (part of the regime that fired Stelter, interestingly); CNN anchors Sara Sidner, John Berman, Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins; former CNN chief legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin; senior political analyst John Avlon; Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and frequent CNN guest Carl Bernstein.
The list isn’t purely limited to Stelter’s former CNN colleagues, however. Other TV newsers who we spotted at the event include MSNBC host Lawrence O’Donnell, Ali Velshi, Alicia Menendez, Ari Melber, and Stephanie Ruhle, as well as the network’s vp of booking Jesse Rodriguez, former CNN-turned-NBC Newsers Chloe Melas and Laura Jarrett, NewsNation’s Dan Abrams, The View ep Brian Teta and many more.
Brian Stelter, Ari Melber
UTA’s Adam Liebner with Allison Gollust and Jeff Zucker
Lawrence O’Donnell, Brian Stelter, Jeffrey Toobin
John Berman, Kaitlan Collins, Mindy Berman
Jamie Stelter, Dan Abrams, Brian Stelter