CNN’s Chief political correspondent Dana Bash had a banner year. She gave aggressive pushback to every single candidate fighting for the presidency and was able to net interviews using a combination of natural approachability and dogged determination. She seemed to be constantly on the road at campaign events, doing live shots and conducting interviews for broader pieces almost daily. Very often as the slogan goes, it felt she -was- CNN. As she mentioned in CNN’s Girls on the Bus series, this was the campaign of a lifetime and along with her producer Abigail Crutchfield she became one of the breakout stars of 2016.
As many conservative pundits recanted their opposition to Trump, captain of TheBlaze Glenn Beck never wavered in his conviction that the candidate and the “alt-right” movement he empowered were the wrong choices. In withholding his support for the GOP nominee, the Never Trump stalwart courted the outrage of conservative allies and the admiration of onetime rivals, who praised him for his open-mindedness to Clinton and his belated admission of respect for Obama. The problem, a sober Beck said on election night, is “we don’t listen to each other and we don’t trust each other.” Beck has become surprisingly unpredictable which makes him that much more influential if you can get him on your side.
Eric Bolling, has long been a fixture on Mediaite but this year he became a national star. Why? Because he became just one of a tiny handful of media leaders who can now say “I was right about Donald Trump.” He was panned for his spirited defenses of the mogul who became a candidate, then a nominee, and now the President-elect, but he has reason to gloat now... which he does. Oh just occasionally. The Five, which he moderates along with other big Fox names Kimberly Guilfoyle, Juan Williams, Dana Perino, Greg Gutfeld and occasional others has become a cable news ratings monster but with talk of a spot for him in the new administration, who knows what is next for Bolling.
The mere mention of Breitbart always guarantees an immediate reaction, whether it be positive or negative. There’s a reason Steve Bannon’s White House appointment spawned all that cable news coverage. Breitbart has expanded its success and influence under the direction of Joel Pollak and Alexander Marlow. Marlow in particular has been viewed as a young rising media star, having placed in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 in media in 2015 and being the subject of a CNN profile just months ago, Breitbart has, of course, been controversial due to its association with the alt-right––a connection that Pollak strongly disputed during a CNN appearance this year. Nevertheless, that association has led to companies like Kellogg’s to pull ads from the site. But Breitbart retaliated by calling for a boycott, and the fact that #DumpKelloggs ended up being a top Twitter trend is a testament to the size and influence of Breitbart and its audience.
You may know Neil Cavuto as the anchor of Your World on weekdays and Cavuto on Business on Sundays, but what makes him even more influential is that he is also a top manager. Unlike other on-air stars, Cavuto is also a senior vice president and managing editor for Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network. Despite numerous health problems- he’s a cancer survivor, was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis, and had open-heart surgery earlier this year, he’s remained a powerful fixture on his network, including moderating a GOP debate in January and offering pointed (generally conservative) commentaries throughout the election. He made enough of an impact that even being absent for a chunk of this year, he signed a contract extension with FOX- they like him there both on and off the air. His influence is not to be underestimated.
If CNN was one of the most pivotal homes for political media during the 2016 election cycle, then the host of ‘360’ is one of its most critical and influential figures. To be sure, Anderson Cooper’s nightly work on the network made for must-see TV, as the season vet grilled lawmakers and newsmakers alike while moderating panels that would frequently lead to on-air brawls. But Cooper knows when to toss out the script and speak from the gut. He frequently tore into campaign surrogates when he saw right through their nonsense, and famously remarked right to Donald Trump’s face, “With all due respect, sir, that's the argument of a 5-year-old.” He moderated a litany of panels and town hall events for CNN this political season, scoring a sit-down with President Obama on gun control before being named by the Commission on Presidential Debates as one of the co-moderators for the general election. Cooper is, without a doubt, one of the single biggest names of our industry, and his crossover appeal to programs like 60 Minutes and LIVE with Kelly (where he was been long rumored to become the new daily fixture) on ABC demonstrate his continuing influence.
Abigail Crutchfield is CNN’s Dana Bash’s all-star producer. Bash interviewed nine presidential candidates in 2016, including multiple interviews with President-Elect Donald Trump and Crutchfield is the mastermind who made it all happen. At CNN’s presidential debates, Bash was a questioner and Crutchfield was behind the scenes, working with her to prepare. During presidential conventions, Crutchfield and Bash reported from 3:00pm to 11:00pm daily, which led to Bash’s interview with Trump’s adult children- the first one they did after their father officially became the Republican nominee. Without Crutchfield, Bash would have had a lot fewer guests.
Kurt Eichenwald -- of Newsweek and Vanity Fair, of course -- was one of those media figures who had a long, successful career in the pre-Trump world, but whose star rose ever higher as the campaign season wore on. Just days before the election, Eichenwald generated headlines with his exclusive report about the root of Putin’s love for Trump. Whether it was his groundbreaking and assertive pieces or his unique online presence, he seemed to be cropping up in conversation all throughout the worlds of politics and media. Of course, he wouldn’t have been nearly as influential this year had he not laid the groundwork for his credibility by working tirelessly for years as a journalist for CBS News, the New York Times, Portfolio, and more. It was his bona fides in the field coupled with his no-nonsense takes on the election that cemented him as one of this year’s most influential and someone political reporters can look up to for years to come.
Arden Farhi serves as CBS’s White House Producer and spent much of 2016 following Donald Trump and providing first-hand accounts of the campaign and contributing to dozens of reports. (And will, obviously, be involved in covering President Trump in 2017 in his role.) Farhi was present during the chaotic Reno rally days prior to Election Day when Trump was rushed off stage by the Secret Service after it was thought someone in the crowd had a gun and was on hand during a rowdy anti-Trump protest outside a June rally in San Jose. His CBS News peers consistently named him among the first when asked to laud a person critical to their 2016 election coverage. A classic behind the scenes star who deserves to be recognized this year.
By her own admission, this ‘Barrons of the Beltway’ author never intended to become a part of the story this year, instead assuming her original reporting would suffice for a solid turn covering the election. Of course, that all changed one fateful night in Florida when she accused Trump’s campaign manager Corey Lewandowski of assaulting her during a rally. Fields soon found herself at the center of a political media firestorm whose implications rippled on. That’s hardly the sole reason we’ve included Michelle Fields here on our list however; she left Breitbart this year to begin her work for The Huffington Post, and continued a healthy level of sharply-aimed, and widely shared, criticism against the Trump candidacy in her new role. 2016 was a hallmark year for this young journalist, and we’re looking forward to seeing what the new year will bring.
Paul Gigot oversees editorials at the Wall Street Journal and often set the tone for how the larger media would see the election through the lens of the right of center media. Recently, the Journal changed the public discourse after the editorial board penned a scathing op-ed that ripped President-elect Donald Trump over the deal he negotiated with Carrier that would enable a plant to keep additional jobs in the United States. This week, the board published a piece that suggested Trump’s decision to talk to the Taiwanese president may in fact turn out to be a good thing. On top of his editorial duties, Gigot hosts “The Journal Editorial Report” on Fox News. The Journal and Fox News are the two most influential right of center entities in the mainstream media and Gigot was a major player in both in 2016.
Fin Gomez of Fox News Channel became integral for the network behind the scenes in large part thanks to solid connections within the Hillary Clinton campaign. Where other hosts on the channel found the campaign’s lack of participation in its own coverage frustrating, Gomez worked tirelessly securing statements and critical interviews. One can imagine that it can’t always have been easy being the Fox News producer responsible for Hillary Clinton but according to those inside Fox, Serafin used that challenge to become a critical player this election season.
NBC’s Today Show has a place in the heart of many Americans, which is certainly due to in part to co-host and legal correspondent, Savannah Guthrie. Viewers across the country saw Guthrie spend hours on air covering the 2016 election along with her star co-anchor Matt Lauer. In a recent profile piece in the Hollywood Reporter, her boss, Andy Lack, praised the host for having a “very good bullshit” detector. In June, Guthrie pushed back on Trump calling it “unseemly” when he offered himself congratulations for forecasting there would be another terrorist attack. Guthrie has handled everything from political interviews, to lighter segments, and the payoff is evident in the third quarter ratings boost that placed Today ahead of the competition at ABC and CBS in certain metrics. More can certainly be expected of her once she returns from maternity leave and Mediaite congratulates her as she prepares to give birth to her second child.
To successfully hold your own as one of the top voices in cable news is one thing. But to demonstrate that you have enough crossover appeal to also play to the TODAY Show crowd is a talent set all its own. NBC’s Tamron Hall showed this year that she knows how to hit the sweet spot. It would be enough to highlight Hall’s personal work to be a force for good, fighting on behalf of domestic abuse victims but a whole other thing altogether to spotlight her political interviews that often led to headlines everywhere. This summer during the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Hall left Trump surrogate Scott Baio absolutely stuttering and sputtering for air when she slammed him on MSNBC for cheap shots aimed at Hillary Clinton.
On top of the two shows, and his managerial duties, Halperin was also a regular Morning Joe guest where his insights consistently made headlines during the 2016 election. Last month, he didn't hold back ripping The New York Times for ‘anti-Trump’ bias following the election. “It's amazing,” Halperin said referring to a recent Times headline about Trump’s victory. “It's The Onion.” Some have critiqued him for being “too favorable” to Donald Trump but make no mistake in most of those cases Halperin ended up being right. And, just this week, he questioned the president-elect's decision to have a phone call with the Taiwanese President. "There's an improvisational quality to how they're dealing with everything," he noted about the transition team and quickly-assembling cabinet. "And that's a little bit dangerous," he said. Agree with him or not, when Halperin offers up his analysis, the political world listens.
John Heilemann was one pundit who could be counted on to tell it like it was and predict how it would be, no matter what outrageous things were going on in the campaign cycle. He and co-host Mark Halperin kept a busy schedule this election season with their show, With All Due Respect, his continuing duties as co-managing editor of Bloomberg politics, and his new Showtime feature, With The Circus: Inside the Greatest Show on Earth. Heilemann brought viewers an inside look at what really goes in during a presidential campaign, providing the sort of first-hand account that will be heavily valued by historians in the years to come.
There was little surprise or uproar when the Commission on Presidential Debates announced that NBC News’ Lester Holt was tapped to moderate the first general election debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump. After all, the unflappable veteran had been firm but fair in previous interviews with candidates, and was widely regarded as a “no-brainer” choice for the Commission. Since assuming the NBC Nightly News desk, Holt has repeatedly shown why he is deserving of consideration on our most influential in news media list. In fact, the Holt-helmed Nightly News reeled off 14 consecutive weeks in the top ratings spot earlier this year, going up against stiff competition in the form of ABC’s World News Tonight. NBC Nightly News was the most watched program for the 36th consecutive sweep period in 2016 as well, proving that Holt can pack a jolt.
Few people sparked as many fierce debates this year as CNN’s liberal commentator Van Jones. Until the bitter end of the election, he was creating the talking points and coining phrases like “whitelash,” as he became one of the best known Trump critics. He eventually took on The Messy Truth, a project that involved him spending time talking to Donald Trump’s voters and trying to better understand them. His commitment to his beliefs coupled with his willingness to hear other sides of the story made him an unstoppable force this year. You know you have made it when just saying the name "Van Jones" evokes a visceral reaction. . . one way or another.
As Chief White House Correspondent for ABC News, Jonathan Karl has become one of the most recognizable and influential reporters in the nation's Capitol. Whether he was asking Donald Trump about his attacks on primary opponents and their wives or prodding President Barack Obama about his pre-election statements about Trump being unfit for the presidency, Karl was often asking the toughest questions at press conferences. Beloved and despised on both sides of the political aisle, Karl proved to be precisely what a White House reporter ought to be: dogged, non-partisan and well-respected.
Without a doubt, Brianna Keilar has been one of the 2016 election’s biggest breakout stars, regularly filling in for network stalwart Wolf Blitzer on the Situation Room and asking crucial political questions every step of the way. Keilar was also one of the featured correspondents on CNN’s “Girls on the Bus” series, a twist on the decades-old book by Timothy Crouse about the male reporters covering the 1972 election. But times have changed, and CNN’s strong female coalition has featured Brianna Keilar as much as anyone else. Who could forget one of the moments of pure viral gold that she delivered during an on-air interview with Trump surrogate Michael Cohen? Despite the outcome of the election, Keilar’s deadpan delivery and rebuke of Cohen’s argument was viewed by millions of people within mere hours, earning widespread praise from CNN personalities and rival network figures alike.
If it’s ever been said on the record, count on the KFile Team to find it, no matter how old, how arcane, or how overlooked. The tireless team led by Andrew Kaczynski, which includes Kyle Blaine, Christopher Massie, and Nate McDermott, moved its operation from Buzzfeed to CNN this year without missing a step, and single-handedly propelled countless news cycles with their hard-earned scoops. Kaczynski and company scoured America’s content landfills to unearth gems from old interviews, graduation speeches, forgotten press clips, and more. Nobody worked harder this year to try to make public figures accountable for what they said — even if they never remember saying it.
CNN’s Chief National Correspondent was a political superstar in the game once again this year, anchoring Inside Politics and providing a steady hand of veteran prowess to the network’s coverage of the race. If there is a crucial panel or heated conversation going on somewhere on CNN, chances are that John King is standing nearby at his Magic Wall: cable news’ very best visual descriptor of all things that live inside the Venn diagram of “politics” and “cool on-screen graphics.” But that doesn’t mean that King’s contributions are only on the objective side; he would routinely call out candidates in the race for their poor performances (“He might call himself low energy there to borrow a term from the primaries,” he said of Trump) and added commentary important to the discussion. For example, when the trove of hacked emails from John Podesta were made public, King weighed in bluntly, telling the CNN viewers at home, “It shows you the secrecy– some would say paranoia– of Hillary Clinton and her inner circle.” It’s impossible to imagine the CNN political apparatus without associating the name John King..
If ever there was a need for crystal-clear explanations and easy-to-follow news, it was the 2016 election. This campaign season had innumerable twists and turns, which is why news consumers are lucky Vox founder Ezra Klein is no stranger to pulling back the curtain and letting interested parties see what really goes on behind the scenes. In fact, he’s really good at it, as evidenced by the popularity of his old Washington Post blog and newsletter, which aimed to illuminate policymaking for the uninitiated. Years later, he’s still doing it and his work is as vital as ever.
MSNBC’s Steve Kornacki had a big year in part, thanks to his use of huge, interactive boards to illustrate the often complex electoral college or other statistical points. His mastery of technology, innovation, and production made him a break-out geek heartthrob this election season. As likely to have a nerdy political analyst or niche expert on his show as he is to have an opinionated pundit, Kornacki developed a niche, a major following and a big future.
The breakout star of TheBlaze and one of the youngest conservative firebrands, 24-year-old Tomi Lahren became one of the most beloved and loathed pundits of the year — even inspiring multiple petitions to have her sacked. Lahren came to national prominence this year via a series of incendiary monologues, riffing freely and fearlessly on the subjects of race and political correctness. Her bold style and unalloyed praise for Donald Trump earned her a spot on the president-elect's soft launch for Trump TV. That project may have been put on hold for a few years, but Lahren isn't slowing down and expect her to be a major conservative force in the years to come.
With Jon Stewart’s tenure at the Daily Show firmly in the rearview, HBO’s Bill Maher occupied the steady lane of the angsty unapologetic smart-ass (mostly) liberal in the 2016 cycle. His Real Time was the stuff of must-watch-TV every Friday night. He welcomed candidates, spokespeople, and network pundits from all ideologies onto his show in 2016. He’s far less fluffy than many others in the late night game who dominate the other weeknights, and often gets the first crack as the weeks-end storylines even before John Oliver can get his hands on them. His “New Rules” segment alone is worth the price of admission, and his unique ability to volley a panel conversation with top notch guests is a refreshing take on the endless punditry we’re otherwise bombarded with. Bill Maher is still a top dog in the game, and time will only tell how he contributes his voice to the Trump presidency.
If you’re a regular connoisseur of the liberal blogosphere, then you’re already more than familiar with TalkingPointsMemo and Josh Marshall. He was influential in 2016 and 2015 and 2014 and will be again in 2017. Posts from TPM get shared all across the net and help drive conversation on the American left. TPM has been an online mainstay for many years now and there’s no doubt that it will continue to thrive under a Donald Trump presidency.
If it seems as if every presidential election puts the skewering comedy of Saturday Night Live front and center into the American consciousness, you largely have — ironically — a Canadian to thank. SNL’s head honcho Lorne Michaels, who launched the venerable late night program and continues to this day to have an active role in its production, delivered another year for the ages in 2016; supported by a talented and hilarious cast that presented the week’s must-see election parody cold open and sketches every week, Michaels proved yet again that Saturday Night Live is still beyond relevant: it’s downright crucial. The show took square aim at not only the circus behind the presidential candidates themselves, but also the cable news pundits who nitpicked, debated, and screamed their points of view into our living rooms nightly. Yes its comedy but everyone now understands how long lasting, and perilous, the best of those political parodies can be.
2016 was ABC News’ David Muir's break out year. The anchor for World News Tonight became a major player in the ABC News landscape and beyond. Muir secured major interviews at the most competitive times that significantly drove the politics and news media cycles; it was Muir, for instance, who lured an apology out of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for her use of a private email server. Muir also accompanied President Barack Obama on his historic trip to Cuba, earning the exclusive with the Commander in Chief as he normalized relations with that nation for the first time in decades. Under Muir’s careful watch, World News Tonight became a formidable player and neck and neck rival to the NBC Nightly News. He also masterfully co-moderated the third and final Democratic presidential debate along with his cohort Martha Raddatz, securing his place as a leader in this year’s news media landscape.
The Daily Beast’s Olivia Nuzzi had a stand-out year that solidified her place among the top ranks of political journalists. Her election reporting was informative and dependable, but it was her tweets from the front lines of event after event that really illuminated the campaigning process for countless readers and followers. From expressing frustration and disgust to cracking jokes, she did her part to humanize an unorthodox period in American history. Speaking of humanizing, her GQ profiles on Hope Hicks and Scottie Nell Hughes brought much-needed dimension to two of Donald Trump’s most ardent supporters. The 23-year old Nuzzi seems able to make any information digestible, which is a skill that will take her far in the coming years.
Outside of the cable news bubble, many networks news anchors did excellent work in 2016 but few rival Norah O’Donnell of CBS This Morning. When the Democratic primary process was anything but a sure bet for for Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, O’Donnell made headlines by grilling fan-favorite Senator Elizabeth Warren about her unannounced support, who at the time seemed to waver between Clinton and Bernie Sanders. One of O’Donnell’s most noteworthy contributions to CBS in 2016 came in the form of a controversial undercover segment for 60 Minutes spotlighting the call centers that American Congressman use to raise untold sums of money. Although cameras were strictly forbidden inside the call center, O’Donnell and show producers defended the decision to air the footage, saying it benefitted the American people to know the truth. “I’m a reporter who covered Capitol Hill for many years,” O’Donnell later recounted. “I didn’t realize those call centers existed. So I’m sure many people in the American public don’t realize that that’s how many lawmakers are spending a lot of their time.” Now we do thanks to Norah’s terrific work in 2016.
From his perch high in the ratings, Fox News Channel’s Bill O'Reilly remains the cable king. Throughout the election, O'Reilly was an increasingly unpredictable political commentator thereby making his views that much more influential. He became one of the few cable hosts who regularly secured interviews with President-elect Donald Trump. And, O’Reilly wasn’t afraid to tell the presidential-elect what he really thought either. After the last presidential debate, O’Reilly opined “I don’t know if he can recover from that.” He did and so did O'Reilly whose empire of historical books also continued to grow throughout 2016.
Aside from having one of the best Snapchat accounts in all of political media (see it for yourself for her famous arm pump of victory), Liz Plank took her talents to Vox earlier in 2016 to serve as the Senior Correspondent after an impressive tenure at Mic. She appears regularly all over cable news, often spotlighting the newest fight for women’s rights. Her memorable turn earlier this year with newly-named Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was the stuff of viral glory, hilariously spotlighting (in a tongue-in-cheek way) the public’s fascination with moving northwards after the election.
Remaining THE newsletter to read in the political media during 2016 was no easy feat. But every morning, it was required reading to know what would matter to the movers and shakers in Washington, especially with a historic and unprecedented presidential election hanging over everything. Senior writer Jake Sherman brought his expertise as a congressional reporter to the mix, helping explain how decisions are made in the actual rooms where they meet. Senior Washington correspondent Anna Palmer added her experience as co-author of POLITICO Influence, which was long considered a necessary read on K Street. Reporter Daniel Lippman rounded it all out by tossing in his overseas and environment reporting expertise, giving us the compulsory Playbook.
Mark Preston juggled quite a few key roles during the 2016 election as both the executive editor for CNN Politics and the co-host of Politics Inside Out on SiriusXM. What makes Preston unique is his ability to seamlessly transfer between his managerial duties, providing live analysis, and helping to nail down 2016 election scoops. Just this month, he had the inside details about a Trump meeting with Mitt Romney to discuss a possible Cabinet position. If you don't think that’s enough he also helped coordinate debates and other political events sponsored by CNN this year. Yes he is a solid fixture on tv, but what you don’t see is arguably far more valuable.
He has the job mix that every aspiring journalist wishes they had and the veteran journalist and talk show host enjoyed another banner year in 2016. The CBS This Morning co-anchor won the ICFJ Founders Award for Excellence in Journalism in November, describing the morning program as “the best show on morning television and one of the best shows in the industry.” He also found time to cameo in the mega-blockbuster Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice. Rose is perhaps best known, however, for his long-running self-named interview series. Charlie Rose gave us some of the best conversations of the year and delivered insightful and informative discussions with guests as varied as Bernie Sanders, Chris Christie, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Bill Clinton, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Donald Rumsfeld, Helen Mirren and President Barack Obama. He may have the best job in television, and he has earned it.
With a soft tone and a sharp wit, Fox News Channel’s Shepard Smith delivers every broadcast in a unique way that keeps viewers coming back for more. Smith continues to show unpredictable remarkable candor in assessing the political news of the day, whether it be about Republicans or Democrats. Smith also has a strong sense of what is fit to air and what is not. For example, he made headlines this year when he refused to air the images of horror from the Nice attack. But what makes Smith stand out in the world of cable news again this year is for the more lighthearted moments he brings to our screens. In just the past few months, he was hilariously transfixed by a giant blob of foam, did the mannequin challenge, and got into a ridiculous riff with Chris Wallace about chapstick. Shep Smith would be a star at any news network, he just happens to have been at one for a long time now.
The Buzzfeed Editor-in-Chief helmed the media giant during one of the biggest year’s on record, covering every aspect of the 2016 election. At times, he was responsible for keeping the ship on a straight and narrow path reminding his full Buzzfeed editorial staff, “Readers are entitled to trust you less if they think you're in the tank.” But he wasn’t afraid to defend his home turf either, engaging in a war of words of sorts with CNN President Jeff Zucker for calling out Buzzfeed and at other times defending the site from conservative critics. To those who questioned Ben's decision to leave Politico in 2011 for a gig at some site that does lists. . well we know who got the last laugh.
At first glance, you may wonder why this bad boy shock jock made the list for 2016. But upon closer review, it immediately becomes clear that his years of radio interviews with a certain controversial presidential candidate became the stuff of news headlines again and again during this cycle. Largely spearheaded by the efforts of the KFILE team at Buzzfeed/CNN, journalists spent hours combing through Stern’s old footage of every imaginable interview he did with Trump in order to dig up the newest spat of controversies to rock the campaign trail. Rarely, did Stern fall short of delivering an impact, even decades after his interviews originally aired. Without a doubt, Stern is one of the public figures who knows Trump the best, and his lengthy sit-downs with the then-real estate mogul shed an important light onto the character, temperament, and personality of the man who will soon become our 45th President. In a bizarre twist of fate that absolutely no one saw coming, Howard Stern became, by default, a wildly influential figure in political media in 2016.
As Managing Director of United Talent Agency (which purchased news agency N.S. Bienstock), Jay Sures, and his company now represent many of the most prominent people on this list. Their client roster includes Anderson Cooper, Bill O’Reilly, Jake Tapper, Chuck Todd, Norah O’Donnell, Glenn Beck, David Muir, (and Mediaite founder and ABC News' Dan Abrams) just to name a few. It's not just his company either. Sures personally oversees the careers of the biggest and brightest in the news business. Sures, who was inducted into the Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame this year, also hosted the hottest party at the White House Correspondents Dinner where he was a guest of his client, event host Larry Wilmore.
With anti-establishment sentiments pulsing through the heart of the body politic this year, Cenk Uygur was able to tap into the progressive dissatisfaction with the status quo like few others in 2016. The Young Turks founder and host used his nightly web program to promote progressive and liberal values while taking a no-holds-barred approach to political commentary when it came to this historic and contentious election. The Young Turks boasts over 3 million YouTube subscribers and TYT Network is a veritable online empire, featuring a whole host of shows such as Pop Trigger, TYT Sports, Think Tank and What the Flick?! With an upcoming Trump administration, expect Cenk to be more vocal, and influential, than ever.
At the intersection of money and the power players who generate it lies The Hive, the newest effort from Vanity Fair which launched this year. Jon Kelly has been leading The Hive since its launch in June, focusing on everything from the financial sectors to the Beltway and even Silicon Valley. Mike Hogan has been serving as the Digital Director this year, teaming up with Vanity Fair editor Matt Lynch in the process. Covering the self-described “drama behind the U.S. power corridors,” Kelly, Hogan, and Lynch have have brought an influential voice to important landscapes of public interest. Featuring an array of high-profile writers — along with an impressive list of sponsors — the launch of this vertical proved its value right out of the gate.
CNN’s anchors and staff gets all of their facts from somewhere, and the one most responsible for that would be this man. As CNN’s Director of Political Research for the last fourteen years, Yoon’s influence could be felt through the network’s coverage for 2016. As a veteran of five presidential election cycles, Yoon has become a leading authority on subjects like money in politics and the nomination process. While he says that clowns got in the way of other things he wanted to do, Yoon’s efforts have still netted him an assortment of journalistic awards and honorable mentions. His briefing books have been a guiding force for years of CNN coverage, and he has contributed heavily to the network’s news articles and presidential debate questions.
Shirley Zilberstein is the Executive Producer and Senior Editor of MSNBC, and her contributions behind-the-scenes for the Peacock were instrumental in the success that the network had in 2016. Zilberstein created and led a unit this year that drove information-gathering, research and fact-checking throughout the entire election. From a managerial point of view, Zilberstein discovered new ways to optimize teams of Production Assistants, Associate Producers, Pages and NBC interns. This was an election cycle unlike no other where the never-ending flood of information came into newsrooms at a dizzying rate; thanks to Zilberstein and her team — affectionately referred to around Rockefeller Center as “Shirley’s Army” — that work proved crucial to the success of the network during this unprecedented year.