"Reliable Sources" is one of CNN's longest-running shows, premiering in 1992. The concept for the program was created during the Persian Gulf War when CNN assembled a panel of distinguished journalists, including Walter Cronkite, David Halberstam and Bill Moyers, for a one-hour special, "The Press Goes to War," in which journalists discussed the media coverage of the war.

In recent years, the show has dissected such topics as Judith Miller’s role in the CIA leak case, coverage of the Iraq war, the changing of the guard at the network news divisions, the rise of bloggers, the outing of Deep Throat, and the wild success of magazines such as People and Us Weekly. The program also includes regular features like "Talk Back," a chance for people in the news respond to what they view as unfair media coverage. And Kurtz regularly does special one-on-one interviews with major media figures such as Tom Brokaw, Bob Schieffer, Jon Stewart, Thomas Friedman, Rush Limbaugh and even George Clooney.