Howard Kurtz has faced an avalanche of criticism for a recent error-filled piece, but CNN Worldwide President Jeff Zucker said the longtime media critic’s job at the network is safe.
The Daily Beast last week retracted a story in which Kurtz incorrectly asserted that NBA player Jason Collins, revealing in Sports Illustrated that he is gay, did not divulge that he had been previously engaged to a woman. Kurtz parted with The Daily Beast the same day, but insisted it had nothing to do with the story on Collins.
On the Sunday broadcast of his CNN show, “Reliable Sources,” Kurtz issued an apology and allowed two other media critics to come on the program to grill him. But Zucker told a group of reporters that the program, and Kurtz’s role as host of it, will both remain in place going forward.
“It has been noteworthy that just about everyone in this group has applied for the program, thank you for your résumés,” Zucker joked, according to Mediabistro. “But ‘Reliable Sources’ will continue, and Howie will continue to host that program.”