Mediaite’s Most Influential in News Media 2021

45. Robin Roberts

Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts has become an institution, but that hasn’t stopped her from seeking out, and getting, some of the major interviews in 2021. She had the first televised interview with a juror from the Derek Chauvin murder trial, speaking with Brandon Mitchell shortly after the verdict in April. Mitchell made clear that, contrary to speculation from commentators, the “racial climate and protests in the streets” did not factor into their decision, describing his fellow jurors as “really just locked in on the case.” Roberts sat down with former President Barack Obama in September to discuss the ongoing negotiations over Biden’s policy agenda, proposals which Obama praised as “something that America desperately needs.” Bachelor star Colton Underwood came out as gay in an emotional interview with Roberts in April. Roberts replied, “I can see the joy. I can see the relief.” It often seems that her disarming but steady interview style allows her subjects to feel just comfortable enough to speak honestly. She was also the first woman of color and first openly LGBTQ+ woman to host Jeopardy! as one of the guest stand-ins who briefly piloted the show after Alex Trebek passed away from cancer.

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44. Ari Melber

Ari Melber emerged in 2021 as one of MSNBC’s most valuable players. As chief legal correspondent, he’s been the go-to analyst for big legal news. As host of The Beat, he’s established the 6 p.m. hour as a ratings success, regularly besting more coveted hours on MSNBC. He competes against Fox’s Bret Baier and CNN’s Wolf Blitzer at 6 p.m. and holds his own. Melber’s audience regularly doubles that of Blitzer, while, not surprisingly, falling far shy of Baier. Melber started the year off strong, actually beating Fox News in the ratings in the wake of the 2020 election and January 6th riot, but has since settled into a very solid second place. One thing Melber has, at this point, is staying power. The Beat launched in 2017 and has been a stable force on a network previously known for its programming shake-ups — in 2021 he became the longest-running host of MSNBC’s 6 p.m. hour in network history (outlasting the previous record holder at that hour, who now reportedly owns a media website.)

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43. Dan Bongino

Dan Bongino, a former Secret Service agent and thrice-failed congressional candidate has steadily become one of the most influential figures in right-wing media. In addition to his new Fox News weekend show, Unfiltered, he also hosts the Dan Bongino Show on the Fox Nation streaming service, and has a syndicated radio program. Moreover, Bongino’s Facebook page is routinely one of the most engaged with pages on the platform. He summed up his philosophy in late 2020 this way: “My entire life right now is about owning the libs.” That attitude permeates his content and approach toward interacting with political foes. He appears regularly on Hannity, often with Geraldo Rivera, for shoutfests on various hot topics. In October, Bongino got into a very public dustup with Cumulus media, which syndicates his radio show. Cumulus had implemented a vaccine mandate for employees, which the cantankerous talking head railed against on his program. He even threatened to quit over it, a move that put the radio giant in the tough position of negotiating against one of the biggest stars in right-wing talk. It remains to be seen who will win.

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42. Michael Strahan

Good Morning America co-host Michael Strahan is a true jack of all trades — and probably one of the most famous people in America. From sports, to entertainment, to news, the NFL Hall-of-Famer can do it all. And while he’s known to bring levity to ABC’s morning show alongside the more seasoned journalists George Stephanopoulos and Robin Roberts, Strahan proved in 2021 that he can make a splash with major news interviews as well. In a pair of high-profile sit-downs, he deftly interrogated country star Morgan Wallen and (now former) Bachelor host Chris Harrison after both came under fire on issues of race. And he proved that he doesn’t pull punches, immediately calling out Harrison’s apology as “nothing more than a surface response.” Strahan’s candor, natural interviewing skill, and undeniable charisma make him a key component of Good Morning America — which just rang in its ninth consecutive season as the most-watched morning show in the nation.

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41. Sanjay Gupta

As we wrap a second full year of the pandemic, CNN’s chief medical analyst has continued to deliver critical analysis as a calming and commanding force on the network’s roster of experts. Sanjay Gupta is no stranger to calling balls and strikes, quick to debunk a conspiracy theory or criticize a Democrat for “really harmful” rhetoric. Gupta has not shied away from honestly assessing controversial ideas, and wasn’t afraid to step into what he described as “the lion’s den” with Joe Rogan — appearing on his podcast for a three-hour conversation, covering an array of topics, including the Wuhan lab leak theory. By the end, he earned the respect of the titan podcaster, who says he considers the CNN doctor “a friend.” He also managed to publish two best-selling books in 2021. In a year filled with variants, vaccine hesitancy, and straight-up misinformation, Dr. Sanjay Gupta was there to deliver — to CNN’s audience and beyond — the facts that truly mattered.

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40. Maggie Haberman

Just because former President Donald Trump vacated office in 2021 doesn’t mean the most prolific reporter of his presidency had a break. The New York Times’ Maggie Haberman continued her industry-leading coverage of the de facto leader of the GOP – multiple times being the first to break jaw-dropping stories, like that Trump rebuffed multiple requests to call in the National Guard to end to the Capitol riot or that he expected to get reinstated to the White House by August of 2021. She already has her eyes on 2024 – reporting on the Republicans vying for the chance to throw their hat in the ring (looking at you, Mike Pompeo). Maggie Haberman repeatedly delivers scoops providing a full view into Trump’s world — which is all the more necessary since he was booted from Twitter — and beyond.

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39. Glenn Greenwald

Like many on this list who rolled the dice and went independent, Glenn Greenwald’s influence has only grown since he ditched The Intercept, the website he co-founded, to launch a Substack. Greenwald is now not only one of the most-followed iconoclasts on Twitter, but he’s also one of the most-subscribed-to writers on Substack, where he churns out essays and video podcasts at a breakneck pace. He again made big headlines in April when he disclosed that he had been subjected to an armed robbery at his farm outside Rio de Janeiro. “As soon as I went outside, there were three men wearing masks, not like generous Covid masks, scary horror film black masks covering their faces,” he said in an interview with Mediaite. Despite dodging armed assailants and coping with an antagonistic Brazilian government, Greenwald still managed to churn out a legion of content on Substack and to maintain a fiery presence on Twitter combating his critics. The polarized media like to pick and choose when they appreciate Greenwald’s reporting, which says more about his reporting than anything else.

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38. Maria Bartiromo

Maria Bartiromo had a rough start to the year. She was sued, along with several other Fox News hosts, by voting systems company Smartmatic for spreading lies about the 2020 election. Lou Dobbs, one of the other sued by Smartmatic, was fired by Fox the next day. Maria Bartiromo, conversely, got something of a promotion. She joined a group of rotating personalities to host the network’s 7 p.m. slot, which Fox turned into an opinion show after moving Martha MacCallum to earlier in the day. Meanwhile, Bartiromo has maintained her impressive weekly schedule: hosting Mornings with Maria during the week and Sunday Morning Futures on weekends, adding up to a staggering 16 hours live on air. Ignoring her role in selling Trump’s fiction of a stolen election and her broader predilection for conspiracy theories, it’s impossible to deny that Bartiromo, who boasts decades of on-air experience and still manages to book interviews with predominant politicians and business titans, has commanding influence.

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37. Willie Geist

Cable news obsessives know Willie Geist from Morning Joe, where he helps Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski run through the news of the day. Geist has proven himself as an able moderator of heavy topics, but also a convivial host who knows when to inject a dose of levity into a segment. Geist was tough on Trump, but has also shown that he can press the Biden officials on their struggling performance and mishandling of issues like Afghanistan. Geist also might be one of the more prolific hosts on television. On weekends, he serves as the anchor of Sunday Today, where he dips into lighter topics well-suited for an NBC morning show. His discussion with Lin-Manuel Miranda about his rise to fame was a must-watch, as was his recent interview with Hillary Clinton, who used the opportunity to get candid in reflecting on 2016.

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36. Megyn Kelly

It’s been a few years now since Megyn Kelly left NBC News, losing the massive platform that came with her position. 2021 was arguably the year she returned to major influence. Thanks to contrarian commentary and always-fascinating guests, she turned her independent podcast, The Megyn Kelly Show, into a hit. She upgraded in September to a two-hour time slot on SiriusXM, and scored big interviews in subsequent days — including with Sharon Osbourne, who sat down with Kelly in October to slam her former bosses at CBS News, as well as Dave Rubin, who made an appearance to tell fellow conservatives that he didn’t believe former President Donald Trump should make a comeback in 2024. She also notably scored a conversation with Turkish-American basketball player Enes Kanter Freedom, who shockingly revealed that NBA executives begged him to remove sneakers that said “Free Tibet” just moments before a game. Kelly’s post-Fox News, post-NBC News career is thriving… on her terms.

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NEXT PAGE: See who made the cut for our #35-26 selections!