The New York Times is reviving its Media Equation column, naming media executive and writer Michael Hirschorn to the role.
Hirschorn will become the fourth columnist in the role, following David Carr, Jim Rutenberg and Ben Smith, executive editor Joe Kahn and managing editor Carolyn Ryan announced Tuesday.
“We’re living through a media maelstrom like never before,” Kahn and Ryan wrote in a note to staff, citing the rise of vertical video and podcasts, the erosion of internet search, the proliferation of deepfakes and the Trump administration’s attacks on the press. “In other words, it’s time to bring back our vaunted media column.”
Hirschorn previously served as features editor at Esquire, executive editor of New York magazine and editor in chief of Spin. He co-founded the media industry website Inside.com in 1999, where he edited Carr, before moving into television.
As VH1’s head of programming in the early 2000s, Hirschorn oversaw series including “I Love the ’80s” and “Flavor of Love.” He founded the production company Ish Entertainment in 2008 and has produced unscripted series and documentaries.
Hirschorn has continued writing about media, politics and culture for The Atlantic and several sections of the Times. His recent Times opinion columns have examined Democrats’ search for a liberal counterpart to Joe Rogan and YouTube’s growing influence on late-night television.
“Back in 2008, I wrote that The New York Times could plausibly go out of business,” Hirschorn said. “I’m thrilled to have not only been proven wrong, but so wrong that you guys were able to turn around and hire me.”
Carr pioneered Media Equation and wrote the column until his death in 2015. Rutenberg subsequently took over, followed by Smith, who became the Times’ media columnist in 2020 and later departed to co-found Semafor, which launched in October 2022.
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