It’s that time of year again — when media folks sneak down the proverbial stairs, alert with anticipation, to try and peek under the metaphorical Christmas tree to see what Mediaite’s Most Influential List for 2024 has for them. Who’s up, who’s down, who’s in and who’s out? Dial up your publicist because the moment of truth is here.
Consider that when this year began, there were still such things as “DeSantis voters” and Special Counsel Jack Smith. Then-former President Donald Trump faced criminal investigations, and President Joe Biden was just getting warmed up to beat Trump “like a drum” — as his advisers remained blissfully in denial about his sharp decline.
But if the century’s-worth of news and spectacle that were crammed into 2024 can be summed up at all, it is that this was the year of the outsider, the disruptor. That theme goes hand-in-hand with the year’s top story, a presidential race more explosive than Christmas at Nakatomi Plaza.
The defining story of 2024 was – what else – Donald Trump’s stunning return from the political dead. Just a few years ago he was deemed finished. Having left the White House in disgrace, his attempt to overturn the election he lost to Biden culminating in a deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol that had even diehard supporters on Fox News declaring his political career over and his legacy tarnished.
In 2024, Trump mounted a comeback unparalleled in American history, clearing out the Republican primary field with breakneck speech, vanquishing formidable challengers like Ron DeSantis, and bending the Grand Old Party once again to his will.
He exploited seismic shifts in the media landscape to win over Americans and batter his opponents – first Biden, whose campaign he ended in one debate, and then Vice President Kamala Harris, whom he defeated in the presidential election with a popular vote sweep few could have fathomed.
Throughout the campaign he survived multiple investigations, a criminal indictment, a raucous and controversial Madison Square Garden rally, and even an assassination attempt wherein on a hot summer’s day in Butler, Pennsylvania a sniper bullet tore through his ear, yielding perhaps the most iconic image of his life: Trump, his face bloodied, his fist raised, shouting at a crowd of adoring supporters to “FIGHT!”
The fate of the news media was, as always, intertwined with Trump. Many have dubbed this race the podcast election, and they would be right. Independent media surged, with millions of Americans for a variety of reasons opting to tune into personalities on YouTube over segments on cable news.
Some of the shift was organic, but much of it was due to Trump himself, who courted non-traditional media even as he waged a relentless campaign to snub and discredit the mainstream media, even Fox.
Podcasters and non-traditional media figures made their mark, as Trump and Harris both tried to bypass the mainstream media filter to find voters “where they are.” There are more of these independent voices on the list than ever before.
But anyone who claims dinosaur media outlets are dead wasn’t paying attention. It was a presidential debate on CNN that provided perhaps the most earth-shattering development of the year when a disastrous performance by Biden eventually led him to step down as the nominee and throw his support behind Harris. CNN’s instant coverage of the panic that gripped Democrats minutes after the debate was instrumental in building the momentum for Biden to exit the race.
And it was an ABC News debate that drew even more viewers than CNN’s and gave Harris perceived momentum in an unprecedented 107-day campaign.
It wasn’t just the election — there were other huge plots and subplots that dominated the overwritten comic book movie that was 2024. Mainstream media proved indispensable with coverage of Trump’s trials — heavily aided by at-times-daily appearances by Trump himself. These news institutions once again proved their value with muscular on-the-ground coverage of the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. Meanwhile, upstart media outlets grew vast audiences tackling thorny subjects both at home and abroad.
Today, Mediaite 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 and other audience metrics, social media followings and engagement. Those are all easy to measure.
Some criteria for the list are harder to define. 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 covered and even 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 2024 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, Zachary Leeman, Aidan McLaughlin, Charlie Nash, Alex Griffing, Kipp Jones, Ahmad Austin, David Gilmour, and Michael Luciano.
75. Alex Cooper
If the 2024 election proved anything for the media, it’s that the game is being played on new turf. Two interviews, more than anything this year, made that clear: Joe Rogan’s three-plus hour confab with Trump and Alex Cooper’s club chair session with Harris. Cooper, host of the ludicrously popular Call Her Daddy podcast, began her career at Barstool Sports, where she and a co-host turned a podcast packed with raunchy sex talk into something of a movement. A $60 million deal with Spotify followed by a $125 million deal with SiriusXM later, Cooper is now a veritable media titan, popping up just as frequently on your Instagram page as she does at high profile events like the New York Times DealBook summit, where she spoke with Andrew Ross Sorkin about her growing media empire and place at the center of American society. Cooper isn’t known for politics, but in 2024 her wading into it was perhaps inevitable. Her 40-minute interview with Harris was widely discussed and quoted. Cooper’s audience is politically diverse – an impressive feat in these hyper-polarized times – and she took some heat for interviewing Harris. But the sit-down established Cooper as a multi-disciplinarian, a Bob Costas for kids born after 9/11. As much as anyone on this list, Cooper may be most likely to climb to the top over the next few decades.
74. Harry Enten
“HOLY TOLEDO!” “OY VEY!” “WOOF!” Harry Enten and his memorable exclamations were unavoidable – indeed, inevitable – in 2024. A fixture on CNN, the data analyst and FiveThirtyEight alum steered viewers through a wild election cycle with clear-eyed analysis that cut through the noise. Enten covered the race for the White House and so much more from every conceivable angle, walking his audience through everything from betting odds, to approval ratings, to, of course, good old-fashioned horserace polls with all of the enthusiasm of a kid at a theme park. Well-regarded within his own space, 2024 was a breakout year for Enten, who has a distinct, unmistakable style and a ubiquitous presence on the air – even after the election concluded. Enten is at his best when he’s puncturing widely-held narratives – like when he broke down the surge in Latino support for Trump, or pointed out earlier this month that Americans don’t actually hate their health care. Enten is well on his way to becoming a household name, in the mold of his old boss Nate Silver.
73. Linsey Davis
As the linear television industry faces headwinds and executives look towards streaming to rescue the news business, journalists who are able to straddle the line between both worlds are in high demand. One such person is Linsey Davis, a rare talent who anchors the Sunday edition of World News Tonight on ABC News while also serving as the face of ABC News Live, the network’s growing 24/7 streaming service. Davis co-moderated the only presidential debate between Trump and Harris alongside David Muir, and earned high praise for her handling of the candidates and tough questions for both. Trump-involved debates are not easy (just ask Chris Wallace or Megyn Kelly) but Davis managed to keep the proceedings on track while not becoming the story. What’s more, she proved her chops at handling subjects outside of politics with her sit-down interview with Jonathan Majors – his first and only interview since the former Marvel star was convicted of domestic violence. Expect to see her move up the list in the years to come.
72. Andrew Schulz
A guy you used to watch on MTV’s Guy Code is now a massive comedian with blue chip talent agency representation, a Netflix special, millions of loyal fans and even clout in the world of politics. Welcome to the new media era, where Andrew Schulz has gone from unknown D-lister to bona fide power player. The comedian and longtime co-host of The Brilliant Idiots podcast with Charlamagne tha God established his own voice in a landscape where news is increasingly sought from personalities rather than newsrooms. Schultz’s popular Flagrant podcast was one of a handful chosen by Trump in his pre-election media tour, with the interview earning nearly nine million views in the two months since its publication. Earlier in the year, Schulz appeared on The Joe Rogan Experience, for a four-hour interview that proved a massive success. Schulz, much like Charlamagne, has also made political commentary a regular part of the conversations on Flagrant. In the aftermath of the election, he’s shared his thoughts on the failures of the Democratic Party and the future of the country under Trump. If this past election is anything to go by, podcasts will continue to be given unprecedented access to some of the world’s most powerful people. We’ll be hearing much more from Schulz in the new year.
71. Don Lemon
Sometimes a castle has to crumble so something even bigger and better can be built in its place. That may be the case with Don Lemon’s digital empire. At the beginning of the year, the former CNN host was poised to collect “a pile of money” for a new online show to be launched on Elon Musk’s X, only to watch the entire enterprise go up in flames when the first scheduled guest — Musk himself — got testy about some of Lemon’s questions and then swiftly canceled the whole deal. Lemon filed a lawsuit against Musk over the broken partnership and then did his best to shrug off the messy debacle, making a round of media appearances — including returning to CNN as a guest — in the wake of the controversy and forging ahead with his show anyway. He’s since racked up over 300,000 subscribers on YouTube and clips of his chats with notable guests and man-on-the-street interviews have been featured on Fox News and other cable programs. But Lemon is also a news celebrity giving him enormous influence. In 2024 he married his longtime partner, real estate broker Tim Malone, in an April ceremony that was exclusively covered by People magazine and described as a “chic” ceremony attended by a “star-studded guest list” that included a number of fellow Most Influential honorees. In the brave new media world, YouTube is the platform for independent voices to be on, and Don Lemon has a serious head start.
70. John Berman, Kate Bolduan, and Sara Sidner
When the past iteration of CNN This Morning failed to catch on even after a staffing reboot, the network restructured the entire morning schedule, turning to some tried-and-true talents on their roster to anchor a key 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. segment. Familiar faces matter in cable memes. Before they took the reins for those three hours of CNN News Central, both John Berman and Kate Bolduan had served as anchors for several other CNN programs, plus their years as correspondents on a wide variety of beats, covering stories ranging from overseas battlefronts to tracking candidates along the presidential campaign trail. Sara Sidner, meanwhile, served as a national and international correspondent stationed around the world. Whether it’s a somber update on the war in Ukraine or more lighthearted holiday fare, this is a versatile team. And cheers to Sidner for successfully completing her breast cancer treatments — an emotional and educational journey she shared with viewers after her diagnosis at the beginning of the year. Her frank discussions of the realities of cancer treatments and the importance of early detection undoubtedly helped viewers who are on similar journeys. Bottom line, this is a formidable team for CNN.
69. Neil Cavuto
No Fox News anchor faces the brunt of Trump’s criticism like Neil Cavuto, the 4 p.m. stalwart who pairs no-nonsense coverage of politics and business headlines with always fascinating interviews. “Neil Cavuto, Fox’s Lowest Rated Anchor, is one of the WORST on Television. I actually prefer the losers at CNN and MSDNC,” Trump fumed in September after Cavuto was unsparing in his assessment that the Republican candidate had lost the presidential debate to Kamala Harris. While he doesn’t deliver the eye-popping ratings of Fox’s opinion lineup, Cavuto still handily beats the cable news competition with a hefty 1.7 million viewers and 198,000 in the advertiser-coveted 25-54 demo in 2024. Not to mention, Cavuto hosts a whopping three shows across the Fox universe, including Your World and Cavuto Live on Fox News and Coast to Coast on Fox Business, making for a total of 12 hours a week. Occupying such a vast swath of programming on the most watched networks in news comes with serious influence.
68. Chris Balfe
Names you will recognize either from our Most Influential list, other gatherings of influence and reach, or just from your own screen (of any size): Megyn Kelly. Tucker Carlson. Bari Weiss. Nancy Grace. Mike Rowe. A name you may not recognize? Chris Balfe. Megyn, Tucker, and a lot of other household names know him, because as the CEO of Red Seat Ventures he’s making it possible for them to operate independent of the traditional and legacy media outlets from whence they came. It’s not just viewers who are drifting away from their commitment to the TV news format: the number of journalists, writers, TV personalities, radio hosts, and celebrities who have struck out on their own has been staggering in 2024. And Red Seat Ventures holds a big part of managing that exodus. It’s a tough road – there is resistance among advertisers and particularly in the Google ad network, to running ads on conservative content. Something Balfe, the former CEO of Glenn Beck’s The Blaze, knows too well. But getting these independent brands off the ground as stand-alone media properties that make money is what Red Seat Ventures does. And massive numbers are a good proof of concept in any form of media. One month this year, Megyn Kelly’s channel pulled in over 115 million views, which is way more than many major news companies including some broadcast networks posted in the same timeframe. And that’s just one of Red Seat’s big name brands. When you’re the person the creators of major political and social power and influence go to get the job done — that’s a unique reach all its own.
67. Peter Doocy and Jacqui Heinrich
With the White House occupied by a Democrat this year, Peter Doocy and Jacqui Heinrich remained closely-watched stars of the White House Briefing Room, regularly sparring with often beleaguered press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. Some of these moments became particularly heated, but both Doocy and Heinrich managed to maintain a friendly and professional relationship with the White House even as they regularly put its key players on the defensive and broke scoops about the administration that weren’t always flattering. Doocy has become a regular on this list for his tough and news-making questioning of Biden. Heinrich in particular proved her chops as a nonpartisan reporter who can handle the anchor chair when she shut down The New York Post’s Miranda Devine for claiming there were “mountains” of evidence to support Biden’s impeachment. (The impeachment inquiry would eventually fizzle out, proving Heinrich’s skepticism correct but also reaffirming how effectively she handles partisans like Devine). In a vote of confidence from Fox leadership, over the summer both Doocy and Heinrich were promoted to senior White House correspondents, cementing their place at the center of DC coverage for the most-watched network in all of cable news.
66. Hasan Piker
In the wake of Harris’s defeat to Trump, liberals and media figures alike asked a question: who is the left’s response to Joe Rogan. That is, an independent voice who appeals to young people and those who have tuned out the mainstream media. Hasan Piker, a progressive streamer with a massive audience on the online platform Twitch, was the only serious figure named. CNN did a segment on the pearl-clad Piker titled, “Can this Twitch superstar be the ‘left’s Joe Rogan‘? He says no, thanks.” Piker, who has streamed 8 hours a day since 2018 on the Amazon-owned site, insists he has no desire to go mainstream. He’s still happy to offer advice to Democrats bruised by another shock Trump victory. Piker’s prescription for the left to get its mojo back is in line with the likes of Bernie Sanders and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez who argue for a party with teeth, that stands up to corporate America and fights to win back the working class. Piker, who got his start as a pundit on his uncle Cenk Uygur’s The Young Turks, is not without controversy, however. With mainstream attention came criticism of flippant comments he’s made about a host of issues (like his remark in 2019 that the U.S. “deserved 9/11” and joking again in recent months that “9/11 2” would be “so sick.”) His commentary on the Israel-Hamas conflict has also raised his profile in the past year, gaining him both new fans and attacks from supporters of Israel. As the Democratic Party reckons with the fallout from 2024, its identity crisis will no doubt be fueled by the likes of Piker.