Mediaite’s Most Influential in News Media 2023

It’s that time of year again — when members of the media suspend themselves on tenterhooks at the edge of their seats on pins and needles waiting anxiously to see where (and IF) they placed on Mediaite’s Most Influential List for 2023. Who’s up, who’s down, who’s in and who’s out? Call your publicist! The moment has arrived!

This year was marked by shocking and seismic shifts in the news media, as Goliaths of varying sizes were felled and massive fortunes rose and fell.

The most spectacular media newsquake had to be the Fox News v. Dominion Voting Systems defamation trial, which played out over the first four months of the year as excruciating bombshell after excruciating bombshell about the inner workings of Fox News dropped on what must have seemed like a daily basis for beleaguered Fox execs.

After all of those damaging revelations came out, news broke that the parties reached a whopping $787.5 million settlement on the very first day of the trial. The company is still facing a separate $2.7 billion lawsuit from Smartmatic.

Days after the settlement, another shock hit: the network’s highest-rated host Tucker Carlson — also the subject of many revelations from the lawsuit — was ousted from Fox News. Fox ended up with Jesse Watters in Carlson’s old slot, and Carlson wound up with a show on Twitter — which, before long, was no longer Twitter.

That’s because another flaming behemoth — billionaire Elon Musk — spewed his own series of monumental ash clouds and magma into the mediasphere. Musk began the year having just achieved the distinction of becoming the first person in history to lose $200 billion in net worth.

In between, Musk presided over a consistent drip of technical glitches, completely upended the platform’s verification system, changed its name to “X” — and capped off a raft of other controversies by spending the year engaging with conspiracy theorists that resulted in Musk agreeing with a guy whose anti-Semitic rant sought to fulfill a dare that someone argue “Hitler was right” to a Jewish user’s face. When advertisers fled, he told them “Go fuck yourself.” All the while, all eyes were on Musk.

Over at CNN, the year began with Chris Licht making moves in his quest to remake the network and reverse its ratings woes and reputation as the anti-Trump network. Then came the shocking firing of longtime star Don Lemon, one of a series of controversies that roiled CNN.

The Licht-orchestrated town hall with former President Donald Trump — moderated by Kaitlan Collins — was a focal point of widespread criticism despite eliciting a raft of newsworthy revelations. But a brutal profile in The Atlantic was a key turning point that preceded Licht’s own shocking firing.

2023 was also a big year for Trump-related media, especially resistance media. Beginning in March, Trump was indicted four times on 91 felony counts, was found liable for the sexual abuse of E. Jean Carroll, and lost a fraud case against his company — which is all over but the judgment amount. The firehose of legal news provided hundreds of hours and millions of words of commentary and analysis.

And closely intertwined with the legal news was the 2024 presidential campaign, which began as a lopsided contest with Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) closing the gap as President Joe Biden led Trump in the polls. But the indictments only increased Trump’s support among Republicans, and by years end had given him a massive national lead on the GOP field and a threatening lead over Biden in many polls.

But the news story of the year hit like a ton of bricks on October 7 when Hamas launched a brutal terrorist assault on Israel that has sparked a furious and deadly response. War correspondents like Fox’s Trey Yingst, CNN’s Clarissa Ward, and NBC’s Richard Engel distinguished themselves with courageous journalism from the Israel-Hamas war zone, as well as the roiling Ukraine-Russia conflict.

Today, Mediate recognizes the 75 biggest movers and shakers in media this year. There are a variety of factors that we take into account when evaluating someone’s position on the list. A few of the metrics are tangible, like TV ratings, social media followings, and engagement. Those are all easily measurable.

Some criteria for the list are harder to define — like the adage goes, we know it when we see it. Is there insider buzz surrounding a particular media figure? Do they churn out scoops and score big interviews? Are they the talk of their rivals? Are they being courted by other major outlets? For good or ill, do they influence other journalists’ coverage?

With that in mind, the writers and editors of Mediaite are proud to present our 2023 selections for the Most Influential in News Media.

This list was written by Joe DePaolo, Isaac Schorr, Colby Hall, Caleb Howe, Sarah Rumpf, Tommy Christopher, Jamie Frevele, Jennifer Bowers Bahney, Aidan McLaughlin, Ken Meyer, Charlie Nash, Alex Griffing, Ahmad Austin, David Gilmour, and Michael Luciano.

75. Brian Stelter

Brian Stelter departed CNN last year, but even without a major network behind him, in 2023 he remained a reliable source for all things news media. He joined Vanity Fair as a special correspondent and podcast host covering what ended up being a major year in media news. He maintained a constant presence on the airwaves as a guest on MSNBC, NewsNation, and even CNN while receiving a warm welcome from Kaitlan Collins to promote his book, Network of Lies. In it, he told the story of how Fox News’ promotion of 2020 election conspiracy theories ended with a brutal $787.5 settlement with Dominion Voting Systems. The book earned rave reviews, with The New York Times extolling it for “read[ing] like one of Bob Woodward’s mightier books.” Stelter’s coverage of Fox over the years has drawn the ire of many a Fox host, but his continued relevance is demonstrated by the fact that they are still talking about him… a lot. Bottom line, when Stelter talks, people still listen — whether they agree with him or not.

74. Matt Belloni

Puck founding partner Matthew Belloni had another stellar year in 2023. Besides his regular columns and “What I’m Hearing” tip sheet at Puck, he continued to build the audience for his podcast on The Ringer network, The Town, which is devoured by Hollywood heavy-hitters. Not to mention being a frequently sought-after commentator on a wide variety of television programs. On all his platforms, Belloni’s proven himself to be the trusted go-to source to break down the juiciest developments in the entertainment industry, who’s rising and falling in the ongoing struggles for power in Hollywood circles, and the seismic shifts caused by streaming, AI, and other newly developing technologies. Whether it was understanding what the “Barbenheimer” phenomenon meant for the film industry, or analyzing how Bob Iger’s second act at Disney presented new challenges for the House of Mouse veteran, breaking down how Taylor Swift conquered the world this past year, or analyzing the strategic maneuvers of both sides of the actors’ and writers’ strikes, Belloni was on top of the story — with sharp analysis and inside scoops. If you want to know the latest on what’s happening in the Hollywood business, you have to hang out by Belloni’s digital water cooler.

73. Jesse Rodriguez

As VP of editorial and booking at MSNBC, veteran cable news executive Jesse Rodriguez is the gatekeeper for what and who goes on the air at the network. Rodriguez climbed the ladder at MSNBC over the last 15 years, and in 2021 he was promoted to vice president of editorial and booking. More than other executives at the cable news rivals, his position gives him tremendous influence over how the network covers the news, at a time when millions are watching. Rodriguez also pairs an impressive rolodex with a nose for what viewers want. He orchestrated Nicolle Wallace’s extensive interview with President Joe Biden. And kept the green rooms of MSNBC populated with star reporters, liberal commentators and #Resistance stars like Cassidy Hutchinson, the former Trump official whose book exposed shocking revelations about the Trump White House. In addition to booking the big guests, Rodriguez oversees the network’s roster of analysts and contributors. 2023 was a massive year for some of the shows Rodriguez works closely with, including Morning Joe and The Rachel Maddow Show, which now only airs on Monday nights but dominates the ratings when it does.

72. Eric Bolling

Amid all the deckchair shuffling and allegations of heresy over at Fox News, Newsmax’s The Balance — hosted by former Fox star Eric Bolling — has worked overtime to establish itself as the place to be for the Republican Party’s right wing. Bolling launched The Balance, which airs at 8 p.m., in 2021. Until April of this year, his Fox competition was Tucker Carlson; since then it’s been Jesse Watters. No doubt Bolling benefitted from viewer outrage at Fox over the Carlson ouster. In 2023, The Balance routinely came in as Newsmax’s highest rated show, and at several points throughout the year, Bolling even beat CNN’s Anderson Cooper in the ratings. Despite Bolling’s unabashedly pro-Trump stance, The Balance played host to every major Republican presidential candidate in 2023, including Ron DeSantis, Nikki Haley, Chris Christie, Vivek Ramaswamy — plus former President Donald Trump himself. Bolling’s lively clashes with Christie went viral. But more importantly, the big bookings established the show as an important stop for pols looking to appeal to the GOP base.

71. Molly Jong-Fast

2023 was a busy year for Molly Jong-Fast, the host of the Fast Politics podcast, a special correspondent at Vanity Fair, and frequent guest as a cable news commentator on both CNN and MSNBC. In late 2022, The New York Times put Jong-Fast on the cover of the business section — “How Molly Jong-Fast Tweeted Her Way to Liberal Media Stardom” — cementing her place as a voice for progressives desperately trying to sort through the madness of the current political climate. A lifelong pundit with a scathing distaste for Trump and his cronies, she’s unsurprisingly taken a lot of swings at leading figures on the right, including describing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as a “wannabe autocrat” who is as “dangerous to democracy” as Trump — but she’s also called out her own side, including an April column urging Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) to resign amid mounting evidence she was struggling to “perform the basic duties of [her] job.” Jong-Fast is a key voice all the biggest names on the left rely on to help shape coverage.

70. Patrick Bet-David

You might have noticed that no shortage of 2023’s viral moments online seemed to occur around a small table framed by comfortable office chairs and the nondescript “PBD Podcast” watermark in the left corner of the screen. “PBD” stands for Patrick Bet-David, the increasingly influential entrepreneur and media personality who hosts the Joe Rogan-esque show. Just this year, Bet-David has hosted Andrew Tate, RFK Jr., Chris Cuomo, Jeremy Boreing, Roger Stone, Ron DeSantis, Ann Coulter, and many more on his show. He’s coaxed Cuomo into declaring that he’s open to supporting Trump in the 2024 presidential election. He’s quizzed DeSantis about his height. Coulter told him Trump “has a vocabulary of 50 words.” He’s not yet a household name like other conservative podcasters like Ben Shapiro and Megyn Kelly, but Bet-David has a knack for attracting interesting guests and getting them to say interesting things. In so doing, he’s amassed a large audience on YouTube (where his show boasts 1.5 million subscribers and his episodes get millions of views), becoming a go-to for those interested in learning more about the conservative media ecosystem.

69. Bryan Freedman

You may have never heard of Bryan Freedman, the high-powered entertainment lawyer. But he’s one of the most powerful – and most feared – people in the media industry. If you’re a big-name media personality involuntarily exiting your employment (there were a lot of those this year) Freedman is the guy you call to make sure your defenestration comes with a financially-cushioned landing. Freedman previously negotiated lucrative severance packages for Megyn Kelly from NBC, Chris Harrison from The Bachelor franchise, and is still fighting for Chris Cuomo in his separation from CNN. Two of the biggest media stories this year were the ousters of Tucker Carlson from Fox News and Don Lemon from CNN, and while those two cable news hosts don’t seem to have a lot in common, they both jumped to sign representation agreements with the pitbull attorney. Carlson’s departure was certainly the splashier of the two (at least from what we know from public reporting and various leaks), with Freedman sending a fiery letter right out of the gate to Fox arguing that the non-compete provision in the former top-rated host’s contract wasn’t enforceable and threatening to sue if the network tried to block him from launching his new show on The Platform Formerly Known as Twitter. Bryan Freedman remains, more than anyone else in the industry, the last phone call any network wants to get.

68. Cenk Uygur

The traditional news media still has a blind spot, and it’s one that’s growing bigger: YouTube. And on that massively popular and tremendously lucrative video platform where many Americans get their news, Cenk Uygur’s The Young Turks towers above the other options for independent progressive media. With almost 6 million subscribers, The Young Turks has long been the biggest progressive news channel on YouTube, and its growth continued in 2023. A former MSNBC host, Uygur himself has been a pervasive figure not just on the channel he founded, but as a commentator on a slew of others. His recent appearances on Piers Morgan Uncensored and NewsNation to present the Palestinian side of the debate on Israel’s war against Hamas have been must-watch television. In 2023 Uygur also announced his candidacy for president, which wasn’t taken seriously as a political bid, but deadly serious as a condemnation of Biden’s re-election effort.

67. Oliver Darcy

2023 was the biggest year in news on the media beat in recent memory. There was turmoil and upheaval at CNN. There was the Dominion defamation lawsuit and the shocking ouster of Tucker Carlson. There was Elon Musk taking a hammer to the news business in an effort to redeem his $44 billion acquisition of Twitter. Oliver Darcy, senior media reporter at CNN, was there to cover it all. While CNN used to boast a sizable team covering the media beat, including Brian Stelter, in 2023 it was largely a one-man band. And Darcy didn’t miss a beat. His Reliable Sources newsletter remained a must-read in the industry — never more so than when he was delivering biting appraisals of his own network in the style of the outspoken public editors of yore. His searing criticism of the network’s town hall with former President Donald Trump got Darcy hauled into Chris Licht’s office. The lashing did little to restrain him. When The Atlantic published Tim Alberta’s devastating profile of Licht, Darcy once again took to his newsletter to question his boss’s “ability to lead.” That shot, fired from inside the tent, likely factored into Licht’s ouster soon after. Meanwhile, Darcy’s aggressive criticism of Fox News (which he now refuses to even call a news network) has turned him into a villain on the right, as much as Stelter was – which is itself an achievement. Putting aside partisan criticism, Darcy has re-established Reliable Sources as a must-read that tackles every story in media — including his own network.

66. Harris Faulkner

The Fox News anchor — one of few personalities in all of cable news to hold down multiple hours of programming every weekday — has become a mainstay of Mediaite’s Most Influential list. And it was another outstanding year for the versatile anchor — who scored with big interviews during her 11 a.m. solo show, The Faulkner Focus, and then dominated the 12 p.m. hour with splashy hot takes as part of Outnumbered. A mid-summer showdown with Gov. Ron DeSantis was a major highlight. Faulkner became one of the first to confront the presidential candidate directly about his flailing campaign. What separates Faulkner from some of her peers is her ability to throw a curveball — like she did in July when she praised President Biden after he signed the Emmett Till proclamation, and in October called out a far-right Congressman for the “petty” move of kicking Nancy Pelosi out of her office while she was attending funeral services for the late Sen. Dianne Feinstein. That is not to say she doesn’t regularly crank up the right-wing outrage machine, including during a memorable rant back in May, where she lambasted the president of Chick-Fil-A. Whichever way she goes, Faulkner’s voice matters and that’s made her an industry power player.

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