Oliver Darcy on the future of CNN and the importance of media reporting.

Find out why he quit CNN to launch his own nightly newsletter.

Q: Why are you launching Status?

A: Media reporting is essential. The companies and figures who shape our information environment and drive our culture should be thoroughly covered — and unfortunately, we've seen legacy news organizations shy away from fulfilling that important role. Status provides that necessary reporting and analysis to readers, covering everything from the Fourth Estate to Hollywood to Silicon Valley. If you actually want to understand the current state of the world and where it is heading, you must have a firm grasp on the media landscape.

Q: What stories are under-covered by media reporters?

A: The media is a vast landscape. Every day, there is a smattering of major news stories — many of which do not get the attention they deserve. But as a specific example, I think news organizations have failed to adequately cover the information wars that have radically reshaped politics and society in the last 10 years. Rarely, if ever, are major MAGA Media figures covered on the evening news or spotlighted on the front pages of the big newspapers. And yet, they command far larger audiences and have much more impact on the current state of the Republican Party than any congressperson or run-of-the-mill politician. Politicians like Jim Jordan and Marjorie Taylor Greene are products of the media universe on the right, but they are often incorrectly treated by the press as the trend-setters.

Photo by Ahmed Gaber

Q: How difficult is it to write about big media dramas when you are part of those very same companies? You came in for a dressing down from former CNN chief Chris Licht after covering the reaction to the Trump town hall. How did it feel to be in the news?

A: It's certainly uncomfortable to write about your own bosses, especially when doing so through a critical lens. But when I was at CNN helming "Reliable Sources," that was the job. When I was handed the baton to be the steward of that iconic brand, the mission that I was given by the network bosses was to cover CNN precisely the same way I would cover any other news organization. And I am proud of the fact that we did that. Sometimes that meant criticizing the decisions that were made. But that was the job. If I cowered from the mission, not only would it have been a bad look for me, but it would have been a bad look for the network. It would have relayed to the industry that the "Reliable Sources" brand didn't actually stand for what it professed to. And I was not going to let its credibility be diminished under my watch.

Q: Will Status remain a newsletter or do you see other add-ons eventually?

A: Status only launched this month, and so we are trying to stand up the core product and get it firmly on its two feet. But certainly, I have an ambitious vision for it — and that includes more than a nightly newsletter.

Q: There's so much pullback in journalism from the end of the news radio format at WCBS to The NY Times declining to endorse NY candidates. What is happening to our business and what hopes and fears do you have for the future of news?

A: The hard truth is that the next few years are going to be painful for every facet of the media and tech industry. There is no way around that. Newsrooms will need to evolve as their old business models decline, major Hollywood studios will need to find a path forward in the streaming era, and Silicon Valley will be disrupted by A.I. But some of the best innovation happens during challenging moments. And I am hopeful that at the end of this era of change, good journalism will find a way to thrive — though I anticipate it will look awfully different than it has in the last couple of decades.

Q: Describe your media diet. What are you looking at and listening and watching day to day?

A: The short answer is everything. My job is to consume as much information as possible and then synthesize it for our audience. I usually begin my day reading the Drudge Report. I then cycle through the major news websites, scroll through social media, and read the newsletters I'm subscribed to. Usually, cable news is on in the background. In the afternoon, as I really begin to start building the newsletter, I complete a circuit around the internet. I begin reading everything all the trades have published and then move on to different pages I have bookmarked across a couple dozen outlets. It's a lot!

Q: What made you decide to leave CNN? It seems like a high profile well-paid gig? 

A: I had an entrepreneurial itch that simply would not go away. CNN was a fantastic home for more than seven years. And I will be cheering the network on. But I wanted to step up to the plate and take a big swing. Not to be cliche, but we are all on this planet for finite amount of time. And I did not want to stumble through life without ever having placed a bet on myself and taken a chance to build something of my own.

Q: Where do you see CNN going from here? Do you suspect a sale? 

A: CNN, like all legacy news organizations, is going to need to dramatically evolve over the next several years, or it will not be long for this world. Mark Thompson has made it clear that he recognizes that hard reality. He will have to now find a way to remake the company for the digital age. He has a record of having done it in the past with The New York Times. But he certainly has a challenging task before him with CNN. And I think he has been open about that.

Q: Describe the perfect story for Status? How much will your report versus aggregate? How big is the audience so far versus CNN’s Reliable Sources?

A: When you have a set of industry titans with big egos making enormously consequential decisions, you are going to have a recipe for a lot of good stories. There is no shortage of important and intriguing storylines for Status to follow. Whether it is focusing on Elon Musk and his destruction of X or Jeff Bezos and his backing of Will Lewis or David Zaslav and his battle with the NBA, there is a lot out there. As for the balance, I think it is important to offer our audience a mix of reporting, analysis, and aggregation. I usually begin each edition with a reported column, followed by several smaller items that include both more original reporting, analysis, and aggregation. Regarding audience, after less than 10 days in existence, I'm very happy with the readership Status has amassed. It is already well-read by news chiefs, Hollywood studio bosses, and technology executives. Our open rate is quite high. And the subscriber list keeps growing by the day.

You can find Oliver’s new launch here at www.Status.news.

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