Soledad O’Brien offers heartfelt goodbye to CNN viewers, says ‘facts matter’

Soledad O’Brien offers heartfelt goodbye to CNN viewers, says ‘facts matter’

    CNN’s Soledad O’Brien offered a heartfelt goodbye to viewers of Starting Point on Friday morning, driving home the point that the most important message of her show has been that facts matter:

    “So I think if I’ve learned anything over the past year it’s that facts matter and we shouldn’t be afraid to have tough and honest conversations and maybe even argue a little bit when there’s a lot at stake. And yes, Governor Sununu, I am talking to you. Up next for me, I’m going to continue to focus on the 25 girls that we serve. We send girls to college at my foundation. Continue to focus too on good journalism, examining the critical issues that our country faces from jobs to poverty and focusing on the people who have stories to tell. And often those stories don’t get told. Huge thanks to my colleagues here at Starting Point. We’ve worked some very insane hours to bring strong journalism and important stories to our viewers.”

    In an earlier interview with Mediaite, O’Brien admitted that her relationship with CNN executives had been rocky at times.

    Among the problems for her show, according to O’Brien, were lack of marketing dollars, a thinly staffed operation, and lack of vision among CNN executives in terms of what kind of show Starting Point should be.

    “You really cannot successfully do a show when nobody really agrees what the show is,” she said.

    Also during the interview, O’Brien said she doesn’t view herself as leaving CNN, just as more of a free agent.