“I used to scoff at people who said, ‘Getting fired was the best thing that ever happened to me’ — until it happened to me. After more than 20 years as a news junkie, I changed my habits and took a break. I also changed my perspective and moved from Manhattan to a horse farm near one of Donald Trump’s golf clubs,” Stelter said.

The former CNN anchor told his readers that he “experienced the news more like a regular consumer, and that he learned a lot about the attention economy and the information ecosystem as a result.”

In August 2022, Stelter was originally fired as the network sought to cut costs amid the controversial reign of former CNN chairman and CEO Chris Licht. Licht’s time at the network was marked by a push for a less opinionated and politicized product that would appeal to a broader audience, but the effort was largely overshadowed by a series of internal challenges during his tenure.

Stelter is widely believed to have been fired by Licht and CNN executives for writing his 2020 book “Hoax” about CNN’s rival Fox News Channel, which was seen as a political move.