The Media Front: Access, Authenticity and the Hybrid Journalist Era

“I always said what I believe,” Chuck Todd told me of his time at NBC News, “but was I careful how I said it because I didn’t want to f–k up a booking for ‘Today’?”

Todd was speaking hypothetically about morning-show bookings, but also candidly about the inherent tensions journalists face inside large news organizations, where access and internal politics are part of the equation.

“When you’re at a network and you are collaborating with multiple shows, you are a cog — part of a larger ecosystem,” he said. If you want to “just sort of strut your stuff,” he added, “that can hurt everybody.”

Todd was no mere cog during his nearly two decades at the network, having held several high-profile roles: “Meet the Press” moderator, chief White House correspondent, chief political analyst and host of MSNBC’s “The Daily Rundown.”

Now he’s on his own.

I spoke with Todd and other TV news stars who’ve gone independent, including former CNNers Jim Acosta and Chris Cillizza, as CNN faces scrutiny for importing elements of creator culture (big microphones, more casual dress) into the cable channel.

The prevailing opinion was that the move came across as contrived. And at a time when trust in media has reached historic lows — just 28% per Gallup — the stakes are especially high.

“Authenticity is the name of the game in the media world now,” Cillizza said. “Being authentic means people trust you. And people who trust you will follow you wherever you go — and maybe even pay for your content.”

It’s a dizzying moment in media. Faces long recognizable to TV viewers — Tucker Carlson, Piers Morgan, Megyn Kelly, Don Lemon — are now part of the insurgency of independent operators.

“They are trying to look like us,” Morgan, a former CNN host, said of current CNN hosts Anderson Cooper and Jake Tapper, in conversation with Kelly, a former Fox News anchor, on her show.

Meanwhile, Trump’s FCC chair, Brendan Carr, framed Todd and Acosta leaving TV news at CPAC on Friday as victories in the president’s crusade “fake news.”

It’s not like current cable hosts aren’t also active in the podcast space; Rachel Maddow, Nicolle Wallace, Chris Hayes, Jen Psaki, Symone Sanders Townsend and Eugene Daniels all have shows, which sometimes cross over into linear broadcasting

For instance, Wallace’s “The Best People” is posted on YouTube, as expected, but has also aired on the cable channel. In addition, MS NOW partnered last month with Crooked Media, bringing highlights from its podcasts into weekend programming, and its parent company, Versant, is in talks to acquire Vox Media’s podcast network.

The line between independent and institutional is already blurring. As Corbin Bolies reports, journalists with strong followings are striking out on their own while still leveraging large media outlets for reach and resources.

Tech journalist Joanna Stern, for one, recently left The Wall Street Journal to launch a Beehiiv-backed newsletter, “New Things,” while later partnering with NBC News. “We want people who can bring expertise, credibility and audience and, of course, alignment with our standards,” NBC News president Rebecca Blumenstein told TheWrap.

And Todd, since going independent, has dipped a toe back into television. He and Cillizza did a “ManningCast”-style broadcast during last month’s “State of the Union” on YouTube, though in partnership with C-SPAN, which provided the feed.

“This is always what we should have been doing on regular television, but we thought it was rude or we thought it wasn’t right,” Todd said. “Essentially, we broke our version of the fourth wall.”

CBS News’ struggle

Bolies breaks down CBS News’ ratings, as its marquee morning show and evening newscast continue to struggle under Editor-in-Chief Bari Weiss

“CBS Evening News” is on pace for its lowest ratings since October in both total viewers and the 25-54 age demographic, while “CBS Mornings” is also on track to hit its lowest total-viewer numbers since October after a steady decline throughout the year’s first quarter.

Check out all the numbers: “The New CBS News Drives New Ratings Lows | Charts”

CNN’s podcast play

CNN adopting the visual trappings of the creator economy — and the white hot trend of video podcasting — comes as it seeks to boost its digital and streaming offerings, such as CNN All Accessamid linear TV decline. The cable stalwart is also grappling with an aging audience and the challenge of maintaining viewers outside of peak moments.

But trying to imitate a vibe that is wholly different from its core identity in a naked bid to appeal to wider audiences only invites criticism and misses the point of how these independent journalists built their followings. Several TV news stars now working independently told TheWrap that legacy networks should seek ways to innovate, but not at the expense of diluting their core brand.

“People really depend on CNN to be CNN,” Jim Acosta, a former CNN anchor, told TheWrap. “Don’t lose sight of that.”

My full piece: CNN’s Podcast Play Captures Cable News at an Awkward Crossroads | Analysis

The news media hybrid

Bolies writes how NBC News’ arrangement with newly independent tech reporter Joanna Stern speaks to a new model for journalists exploring alternative career paths in a changing media landscape, one that may provide editorial independence with institutional support.

“They’ve got to decide what level of risk they want to take, and with some people, having that side deal helps,” veteran tech journalist Kara Swisher, who has deals with both Vox Media and CNN, tells TheWrap.

“They might do it for marketing reasons. They might do it for extra money reasons. They might do it for safety reasons, and so everyone’s got to sort of pick and choose how much they want to do by themselves and how much they want just a little bit of help.”

Check out Bolies’ sharp look at an emerging trend: The New Hybrid Journalist: Independent Operators, Big Media Reach

New York Times, Pentagon back in court

A federal judge ordered the New York Times and the Defense Department to return to a Washington D.C. courtroom on Monday for a hearing on the paper’s motion to compel the Pentagon to comply with last week’s ruling that its press policy is unconstitutional.

The Pentagon said in court papers Friday that it is complying with last week’s order, and accused the Times of mischaracterizing its revised press policy. The arguments scheduled for Monday are the latest in a months-long legal battle over press access to the Pentagon.

Catch up on what the Times, Pentagon and the Pentagon Press Association are arguing ahead of Monday’s oral arguments.

Big tech legal reckoning

A pair of landmark verdicts against Meta — and YouTube — last week could have major ramifications for the tech industry, consumers and in the world of politics.

Legal and tech experts told TheWrap that the jury verdicts are likely to affect similar cases moving through the courts, and potentially force design and policy changes to social media. Outside of the U.S., countries have already taken steps to curtail the influence of social media on children.

“This is going to be a bonanza for plaintiff lawyers, as they can point to this verdict as precedent that the platform design can be blamed for negative outcomes,” a consumer tech analyst told TheWrap.

My piece with Kayla Cobb: Social Media’s Legal Reckoning Has Begun: ‘We Are in a New World’ | Analysis