Mediaite’s Most Influential in News Media 2022
65. Andrew Ross Sorkin
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The biggest story of 2022 was arguably the global financial slowdown, a brewing storm that has world economies bracing for a global recession and companies the size of small nations aggressively downsizing. One of the best guides through the rocky waters this year was Andrew Ross Sorkin, New York Times financial columnist and co-anchor of Squawk Box, CNBC’s flagship morning program. Sorkin in recent weeks snagged a major interview with Sam Bankman-Fried, the (former) crypto billionaire who (whoopsie) managed to lose more than $10 billion of his customers’ money. It’s been called the “financial crime of the year,” and Sorkin treated it as such, grilling SBF on what the hell happened with a tough, informed line of questioning. It was the kind of performance we’ve come to expect from Sorkin, who is also one of the most connected journalists of any genre. He has parlayed that prominence into a big and influential business with his Dealbook Summit events.
64. Dana Perino and Bill Hemmer
Dana Perino and Bill Hemmer spent a second consecutive year anchoring America’s Newsroom together on Fox News from 9 to 11 a.m. To say the duo over-performed relative to their competition with a key block of cable news real estate at their disposal would be understating it. Their on-air chemistry is working and they had no trouble booking high-profile guests. Perino and Hemmer ended the year nearly doubling MSNBC and tripling CNN in total viewers. Perino delivered solid interviews from her morning perch, including an amiable chat with Jen Psaki, who like her served as a White House press secretary. In addition to hosting a two hour stretch of Fox’s morning program, Perino remained a co-host of The Five, which in 2022 established itself as the most-watched show on cable news. A starstruck Hemmer was also every sports fan in February when he gleefully interviewed a member of his Super Bowl-bound Cincinnati Bengals. Cincinnati ultimately fell short in the game, a small setback for an otherwise banner year for Hemmer and Perino.
63. Sara Fischer
Scoop: Sara Fischer breaks stories.
The Axios media reporter spent 2022 earning a reputation as an essential chronicler of the industry. She’s a high-impact journalist who gets in front of big news at the intersection of media, business, politics and tech. From MrBeast and charity to Snapchat and Trump, from TikTok’s U.S. move to Chris Wallace’s new groove, Fischer is there. Fischer broke the fall of CNN+, one of the biggest media stories of the year. And she got Jen Psaki’s decision to move to MSNBC, a major politics story. She’s been getting dirt from inside Twitter, she had the inside track on the New York Times union’s dealings, and took readers inside Google’s plans for local news. That word you keep seeing? “Inside.” That’s because Fischer’s rep as the insider’s insider keeps growing. We’re not quite sure she didn’t know where she was going to land on this list before we did.
62. Nicolle Wallace
The former White House Communications Director turned MSNBC anchor has had a big year. Her show Deadline: White House continues to focus its ire upon the Trumpian right — occasionally with a little hyperbole. At one point this year, she attempted to connect the invasion of Ukraine by Russia to the attack on the Capitol on January 6th. Despite all of this, Wallace’s two-hour show is a ratings winner, beating out Fox News during their coveted 4 pm slot with Neil Cavuto several times this year, while earning the distinction of frequently securing first place on all of MSNBC. She also proved her chops on streaming, launching a four-part miniseries which aired on Peacock. In Deadline: Special Report, Wallace dived into topics not typically covered on her 4 p.m. show, including interviews with actor Taraji P. Henson and Olympian Lindsey Vonn. Wallace is unequivocally one of MSNBC’s breakout stars.
61. Dylan Byers
Thanks to a dizzying series of scoops delivered at breakneck speed, Puck writer Dylan Byers established himself as the best media reporter in the game this year. Since joining Puck, Byers has pulled off what seemed like the impossible: delivering media reporting and analysis that makes the hefty subscription cost (Puck’s basic membership costs $100 per year) seem like a bargain. The pitch for Puck has always been that it gives readers access to insider information dished around in hushed tones at the water coolers of the biggest companies, and Byers makes good on that promise. His reporting on CNN and its parent company Warner Bros. Discovery in particular was indispensable: he was the first to break that Chris Licht was to be named the new head of CNN CEO, which he followed up with a series of unsparing – but eminently fair – reports about the fallout from the network’s overhaul. His sources extend beyond the walls of Hudson Yards, however. This year he also managed to scoop the rest of the industry on news that Joe Kahn would be named the new top editor of the New York Times.
60. Clay Travis
Clay Travis, the founder of sports and politics blog OutKick, did a lot more in 2022 than hawk sports takes and offend CNN hosts. Through a Fox News deal, a popular Twitter account and his gig as one-half of The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton Show, he reached an audience of millions. Travis and Sexton worked to fill the void on the right left by late talk radio king Rush Limbaugh, taking over his timeslot and aiming to hold onto his massive audience of 15 million listeners. In addition to the hours-long radio show, Travis continued to produce content for the OutKick and serve as a mainstay on Fox News. Last year, Fox Corporation bought OutKick, which has only grown as Travis enjoys hits across the network’s daytime and prime time shows. His endless quest to combat “wokeness”, and his gift for turning any and all story into a culture war flash point, was on display throughout.
59. Laura Coates and Alisyn Camerota
Alisyn Camerota and Laura Coates proved to be two of the most understated forces to be reckoned with this year even before they were tapped to take over CNN Tonight, occupying a two hour stretch of the network’s evening programming. The vote of confidence from CNN boss Chris Licht means viewers can expect to see a lot of them in the year to come. Coates, a savvy anchor and legal analyst, regularly filled in for Don Lemon before his move to mornings, so her elevation to the full-time anchor chair was an obvious choice. Throughout 2022, Coates delivered an impressive blend of substantive interviews, compelling debates, and buzzy left-leaning opinion. Camerota, a veteran news anchor who joined CNN from Fox News, has developed a reputation for cutting through partisan bullshit and delivering the news in a relatable way. Camerota’s newscasting skills are as sharp as ever, skills she can now flex on double duty. Together, Camerota and Coates make a formidable duo in evening news.
58. Elie Honig
Mediaite founder Dan Abrams, also chief legal analyst for ABC News, once said, “When I see Elie is on, I turn up the volume.” And that is increasingly the view many hold of CNN’s senior legal analyst Elie Honig. With other top legal voices like Jeffrey Toobin and Preet Bahara no longer on the CNN payroll, Honig has emerged as the go-to legal guy on CNN in 2022, offering his take on everything including the Fulton County, Georgia District Attorney’s investigation into Trump’s efforts to overturn the 2020 election, the documents seized at Mar-a-Lago, and the Jan. 6 committee. Honig has pulled no punches when it comes to criticizing Trump, but he never lets politics color his legal analysis, offering more objective expertise than, say, some of the MSNBC legal commentators who often engage in more advocacy than analysis. One memorable example came when Honig predicted that right or wrong, the judge could rule in Trump’s favor regarding the former president’s request to appoint a special master to review those seized documents — a prediction that drew attacks on Twitter and MSNBC, but was ultimately proven to be correct.
57. Savannah Guthrie
Today Show co-host Savannah Guthrie had yet another banner year. Long ago she established her credibility as a versatile anchor just as comfortable overseeing a light morning show segment as she is holding politicians from both sides of the aisle accountable. In January, she pressed Vice President Kamala Harris on Biden questioning whether the midterms would be legitimate. She grilled former Trump Attorney General Bill Barr about not speaking out against his former boss sooner. She pushed Rep. Liz Cheney (R-WY) on whether she’ll run for president given her staunch opposition to Trump. She interviewed major players in the obsessively-watched civil trial between actor Johnny Depp and his ex-wife Amber Heard — including sit-downs with Heard and Depp’s lawyers.
56. Erin Burnett
It’s been more than 10 years since Erin Burnett joined CNN from CNBC, and in that time she has established herself as a vital component of CNN’s evening lineup. As the host of Erin Burnett Outfront at 7 p.m., Burnett has proved a masterful command of the kind of straight news CNN’s new overlords see as the future of the network. Burnett knows how to cut to the heart of any given topic, and more importantly, she knows how to get results in interviews while maintaining an objective style. This bodes well for her future with CNN as the network claims to be pivoting away from partisan theatrics. As CNN faces ratings headwinds, Burnett still manages to regularly lead the network in the ratings, numbers that will only improve as the 2024 election cycle starts to heat up.
