Your Podcast Leaches Off My News Outlet
Newsrooms face a new round of cuts. Here’s why even edgy outsiders neeed the MSM.
Jimmy Dore hates the mainstream media. The theme song to the comedian’s daily podcast goes, “Establishment media sucks. It’s all gaslighting, so good luck.” He also spends much of his one-hour show trashing news outlets, whether the New York Times or CNN, carving out a brand for himself as an edgy contrarian adjacent to the dirtbag left.
But here’s the crazy thing: Both Jimmy and his cast of fellow comedians spend much of the show reading, word-for-word, news articles from those very same mainstream media outlets they rubbish.
Jimmy Dore is not alone. Whether Nick Fuentes on the far right or Sam Seder on the left or Saager and Krystal trying to find a middle way, these podcasters make names for themselves by offering up an “independent” alternative to the “mainstream media.” But their shows are almost entirely dependent on the hard work of the same news outlets—whether an Associated Press report on Venezuela, a Washington Post or NPR story from the White House, or even a meteorology report from a local television channel.
I bring this up as yet another dreadful round of cuts appear to be impacting news organizations in America. The Washington Post owner and Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos is getting ready to slash jobs on the international, sports, and other desks of the paper, even as he flushes $40 million down the toilet to buy the rights to the cruddy Melania Trump documentary.
Meanwhile CBS News’ ideological minder, Bari Weiss has announced plans to cut journalists and producers from the news outlets to make way for an unimpressive cast of mostly rightwing shills who will do commentary.
