Howard Kurtz Leaves CNN for Fox News

AP

Veteran journalist and media critic Howard Kurtz is leaving CNN to join Fox News, Fox announced Thursday.

Kurtz, the longtime host of CNN's "Reliable Sources" media monitoring program, will host a similar program on Fox that's currently called "Fox News Watch," the network said.

"I'm excited to be bringing my independent brand of media criticism to Fox News," Kurtz said in a statement. "I want to thank CNN for giving me such a prime opportunity over the years and was tempted to continue, but the chance to create a revamped program and establish a strong online presence was too good to pass up. I hope to add a new dimension to Fox’s coverage and have some fun while diving into the passionate debates about the press and politics."

Kurtz will also serve as an on-air analyst throughout the week and write regular columns focusing on the news industry, the network said.

"Howie is the most accomplished media reporter in the country," Fox News Executive Vice President of News Michael Clemente said in a statement. "He's also a master of social media trends, information good and bad, and a veteran political reporter. Altogether, he will add even greater depth to a very accomplished team of reporters and anchors."

The move comes after online news outlet the Daily Beast dropped Kurtz last month after retracting a post he wrote about gay NBA player Jason Collins.

Kurtz will start at Fox July 1.

--

[related]