Mediaite’s Most Influential in News Media 2021
55. Chris Hayes
Chris Hayes has long done the impossible at MSNBC: served as a lead-in to Rachel Maddow, whose broadcasting prowess and loyal audience is unparalleled at the network. But Hayes has built a dedicated audience of his own at the network, for his sharp and opinionated 8 p.m. program. It’s all thanks to a host with a keen understanding of progressive politics and a knack for distilling complex issues — from a right-wing crusade against climate policy to the science of booster shots — for his liberal audience. Hayes also delivers deft media criticism from his perch as host of All In, where the malign influence of Fox News is considered as much of a story as the power of Trump. The MSNBC host doesn’t match the ratings of his Fox time-slot rival, Tucker Carlson, but he consistently bests the competition on CNN. When Hayes is not busy being the most-liked prime time host on MSNBC, he hosts the massively popular podcast Why is This Happening?
54. Elie Honig
Elie Honig, one of the sharpest legal analysts on television, was afforded a big opportunity this year when CNN’s chief legal analyst Jeffrey Toobin took time off following a certain Zoom-call-gone-wild. And he took complete advantage of that opening. He emerged as one of the most prominent faces on the network, offering blunt legal assessments on everything from the big trials of the day to Donald Trump’s claims of a stolen election. Honig has a knack for seeing through charades. When news broke that Attorney General Bill Barr called claims of voter fraud “all bullshit,” for example, Honig was unmoved, calling him out for pushing “self-serving revisionist history garbage.” On top of his reporting, Honig’s book — Hatchet Man: How Bill Barr Broke the Prosecutor’s Code and Corrupted the Justice Department — became a national bestseller this year. Beyond his informed criticism of Trump and Barr, Honig was a sober voice on many of the biggest criminal trials of the year, often citing his prosecutorial and trial experience to offer impressive commentary. When Honig talks, people (and other lawyers) listen, which is the ultimate proof of his influence.
53. Mehdi Hasan
Mehdi Hasan had already established himself as one of the toughest interviewers out there when MSNBC tapped him to host a show on streaming platform Peacock last year. He expanded his reach in the year since, taking over as host of his own Sunday night show on the network itself. The British-born journalist is known for sharp criticism of former President Donald Trump and his supporters, and this year put a sharp-tongued focus on those responsible for the riot at the Capitol. Hasan, however, doesn’t reserve tough questions only for the right, and often holds Democrats accountable as well (usually challenging them for failing the party), a trait that sets him apart from some of his more conformist contemporaries. Not only is Hasan one of the most influential people in news, but he’s also one of the few visible Muslims on cable news, which allows him to grant viewers with a perspective that is largely absent in the media. The anchor’s regularly fresh takes on the stories of the day, in addition to his dedication to calling out those in power, produced numerous viral moments and conversations this year — a trend that looks to continue in 2022.
52. Cecilia Vega
Cecilia Vega brought a wealth of television experience with her when she became ABC News’ chief White House correspondent in January, including stints at KGO-TV in San Francisco and as an occasional anchor for ABC World News Tonight. She remains one of the best reporters on the White House beat, and made headlines several times this year in the role — including in February, when she asked White House press secretary Jen Psaki if President Joe Biden could have done more to prevent 100,000 Covid-19 deaths in the month after he took office, prompting Psaki to reply that the problem was “inherited.” Vega’s rise to the top White House reporting position coincided neatly with the start of Biden’s presidency, and now she is considered the prime fill-in for Robin Roberts on Good Morning America. ABC News clearly has big plans for Vega — and that surprises no one.
51. Bari Weiss
Bari Weiss stunned the media world last year when she very publicly resigned from The New York Times, where she worked as an opinion writer and editor. Leaving one of the most influential news outlets on the planet — and a newsroom she decried as “illiberal” and “bullying” — did not stunt her influence. Since going independent, joining other prominent and disaffected journalists like Glenn Greenwald at Substack, Weiss has amassed more than 100,000 subscribers on the digital platform, where she covers everything from crime to foreign policy. Weiss has become such a household name that she even got a shoutout on Curb Your Enthusiasm this season. She casts herself as the scourge of woke-ism, an attitude that made her an outcast at the Times but a hero to her many followers. Her Substack operates as its own op-ed page of sorts, hosting opinions from across the political spectrum — and recently a viral interview with Kim Kardashian. For more than 100,000 people, it has become a must-read.
50. Jim Acosta
Jim Acosta pulled off a serious change in gears in 2021, transitioning out of the job that made him famous across the globe. The seasoned reporter left his position as CNN’s chief White House correspondent — where he established himself as the Trump administration’s most visible antagonizer — to host of a vast swath of CNN’s weekend programming. Acosta is now charged with anchoring five hours of CNN across Saturday and Sunday, where he continues to hold Trump and his boosters accountable. Fox News has been a particularly bountiful target for Acosta, and not just in his commentary: his show managed to actually beat Fox in the ratings demo for several hours late this year, a rare feat for any CNN show. His on-the-ground interviews with lawmakers like Marjorie Taylor Greene and Madison Cawthorn demonstrated that despite his new role, Acosta is maintaining the edge that set him apart as a White House reporter.
49. Margaret Brennan
CBS News
Did you know that CBS News’ Face the Nation finished the 2021 television season as the most-watched Sunday public affairs program, beating out Meet the Press and the rest? Margaret Brennan is at its helm. As a veteran business and foreign correspondent, Brennan’s breadth of expertise makes her one of the most knowledgeable hosts on television. She’s also among the best interviewers out there, and she scores the top politicians and newsmakers for her Sunday show. Domestically, in the past year, Brennan has interrogated leading politicians from both sides of the aisle, including House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Sen. Tim Scott, and Sen. Ted Cruz. Abroad, she’s interviewed countless heads of state. That might be why CBS saw it fit to promote her to chief foreign affairs correspondent this year. As if you needed more: Brennan is such a powerhouse that when she returned from maternity leave in September, her name had been added to the title of the 67-year-old program.
48. Laura Coates
Larry French/Getty Images
2021 was a year of groundbreaking trials and multi-billion dollar media lawsuits, and CNN’s Laura Coates provided consistently clear-eyed and unsparing analysis. In addition to getting her own three-hour block this year on the prominent POTUS Channel on SiriusXM, she was on the forefront of CNN’s legal coverage, including the trials of the shooters of Ahmaud Arbery, Kyle Rittenhouse, Jussie Smollett, and Derek Chauvin. In the year that followed nationwide protests against police brutality and racial injustice, Coates served as a guide through the rubble that remained from that summer of upheaval. Then came the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol and Coates made a comprehensive case, early on, that Trump incited the violence that day, establishing a “straight line” from his rally down Constitution Ave. to the site of the insurrection. Coates has continued to substitute-host on Don Lemon Tonight, which raises the question: Since there is a fresh opening on CNN’s roster, is 2022 the year Laura Coates gets elevated to full-time anchor?
47. Geraldo Rivera
Geraldo Rivera may be best known as Geraldo the talk show host, but he has emerged as the most prominent contrarian on Fox News in 2021. He has long been known as one of the network’s big names, floating between news shows and opinion shows and battling Fox’s more right-wing opinionators along the way. His commentary is often surprising. Despite supporting Donald Trump, who he counts as a close friend, Rivera is unsparing in his criticism of the former president when such criticism is urgently needed. He has been adamant, for example, that the events of January 6 are inexcusable and should not be forgotten. He clashed with Jeanine Pirro over Kyle Rittenhouse, sparred with Greg Gutfeld over vaccines, and has thrown down on Hannity almost nightly. Rivera’s confrontations with Dan Bongino are so regularly explosive that they should be held in a WWE ring. At the end of the day, Rivera’s influence comes through his ability to challenge the preconceived notions of his colleagues. It isn’t always pretty, but he offers an important voice of balance that Fox needs.
46. John Berman and Brianna Keilar
CNN’s New Day took on some fresh blood in 2021 following the departure of Alisyn Camerota, who was moved to an afternoon anchoring gig. Brianna Keilar, a favorite of CNN chief Jeff Zucker, took her place, and has already developed great chemistry with co-anchor John Berman, whose broadcasting prowess and effortless wit has already established New Day as a quality morning news show. Despite a great pairing, New Day has struggled in the ratings in 2021, falling well behind the competition on Fox and MSNBC. But the show still makes its own headlines, thanks to a smart mix of hard news, fact-checking Covid misinformation, blunt commentary to counter election fraud claims, and tough coverage of pro-Trump media and Fox News. Berman and Keilar also presented a series of striking interviews with everyday people, offering a unique but often somber perspective, such as their interview with a 9-year-old whose father passed away from Covid.
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