Brian Stelter Says Conde Nast ‘Failed’ Alexi McCammond: ‘No One Wins in the Purity Wars’

CNN’s Brian Stelter questioned Alexi McCammond being forced out of her upcoming role as Teen Vogue editor-in-chief because of her offensive tweets as a teenager.

On Reliable Sources, Stelter raised questions about when does cancel culture become “harmful” and “out of control,” rather than holding people accountable for their actions. Stelter made this the theme of his segment as he broke down how McCammond was about to start at Teen Vogue, but ended up resigning days ago after the magazine’s staff revolted against her hiring because of offensive posts she made in the past with homophobic comments and derogatory remarks about Asians.

Stelter noted that Conde Nast, Teen Vogue’s parent company, originally defended McCammond before she stepped down amid the public debate over her hiring. This eventually prompted Stelter to exclaim “enough is enough,” and that McCammond was up against “a standard of inoffensive perfection that is impossible to meet.”

“No one wins in the purity wars.” Stelter said. “No one I know would excuse racist tweets, and almost everyone agrees we should strive for a more just, equal society. But these internal office battles sap energy away from the real struggle. No offense to McCammond, but her name should not be on the tips of the media world’s tongues, not for something she did at age 17. So ultimately, Conde Nast failed her.”

Stelter kept the segment going by talking to The Dispatch’s David French, who argued that McCammond was being unjustly punished for her actions as a young woman. This led to a conversation about other public figures who’ve come under fire over the years for objectionable comments.

“This should not have been a tough question,” French said. “This was talking about something somebody had done when they were a teenager.”

Watch above, via CNN.