Two stories about this week’s U.S. presidential election highlight the overall transformation of the news business.
One is Joe Rogan, the most popular podcaster in the world.
The other is about the Washington Post, one of the most famous newspapers in American journalism.
Each, in its own way, highlights the diminishing influence of traditional media.
Rogan said Monday that he declined an offer to interview Vice President Kamala Harris based on terms set by his campaign, and expressed hope that he would still be able to host the vice president in his Texas studio before the election.
“They set us up for a date on Tuesday, but I had to go to her and they only wanted to do it for an hour,” Logan said in a post on X. .
“I feel very strongly that doing it in a studio in Austin is the best way to do it. My heart’s desire is just to have a fun conversation and get to know her as a person.”
Logan’s announcement comes amid speculation whether Harris will appear after former President Donald Trump joined the podcast last week for a rambling three-hour debate.
Mr. Trump’s running mate, J.D. Vance, is also scheduled to meet with Mr. Logan on Wednesday.
Logan, who made a name for himself as a comedian and mixed martial arts commentator before turning to podcasting, has attracted a lot of attention from potential candidates because of his enviable reach across media outlets.
The interview with Trump has racked up more than 41 million views on YouTube since Friday, but that number doesn’t include the likely millions of viewers who tuned in on other platforms like Spotify and Apple Music. Not yet.
By comparison, Harris’ town hall on CNN last week drew 3.3 million viewers to the cable network (less than 1.2 million watched the edited event on YouTube).
For Harris, who also gravitates toward non-traditional media, including appearances on the podcasts “Call Her Daddy” and “Club Shay Shay,” Logan is a great way to connect with young men, a demographic she struggles to reach. It provides an opportunity to connect.
An average of recent polls published by The New York Times and Siena College Institute shows Trump leading Harris 58% to 37% among men ages 18 to 29 (the picture is reversed for young women). Harris leads Trump among 67-28 year-olds (%).
Joe Rogan during UFC 300 at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, Nevada (Mark J Rebilas/USA Today Sports)
Another illustrative media story in recent days includes the Washington Post’s decision not to endorse the president for the first time since 1988, following a similar move by the Los Angeles Times.
Publisher and CEO Will Lewis called the decision a return to the Post’s pre-1970s tradition of non-advocacy and a “statement of support for readers’ ability to decide for themselves.” He said there is.
But the decision not to endorse Harris sparked a furious backlash both inside and outside the newspaper, as Trump’s critics see the very fabric of American democracy at risk.
Several members of the paper’s editorial board resigned, and a flood of readers canceled their subscriptions in protest (NPR cited anonymous sources saying the masthead had lost more than 250,000 paying subscribers, or about 10% of its total). (reported).
Critics worry that the Post’s billionaire owner and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is trying to curry favor with Trump in anticipation of his possible return to the White House. I am doing it.
In an op-ed published Monday in the Post, Bezos denied any quid pro quo with the Trump campaign, saying the decision was motivated solely by a desire to stem the decline in public trust in the media. he claimed.
He said the move is a “meaningful step” toward restoring trust because the president’s support creates a perception of bias, even though “he hasn’t done anything game-changing.” said.
“Most people believe the media is biased,” Bezos said, adding that Americans have “a lot” or “a lot” of confidence in the media to report the news fairly and accurately. He pointed to a recent Gallup poll that found just 31%.
“Those who do not understand this are paying little attention to reality, and those who fight reality lose. Reality is the undefeated champion.”
Bezos said he could not allow the paper to “become irrelevant” and be overtaken by “uninvestigated podcasts and social media criticism” without a fight.
Whether you believe Bezos acted out of principle or business interests, he says traditional media is struggling to stay relevant. It is difficult to dispute the claim.
Apparently, Trump and Harris have spent time on a number of high-profile podcasts, but neither appeared in an interview with the Post.
