Mediaite’s Most Influential in News Media 2020
55. Chris Hayes
Though far from a lone voice in the liberal wilderness of MSNBC, Chris Hayes consistently offered the most comprehensive, left-wing critique of Trump’s Covid-19 response on cable news in 2020. His scathing prime time monologues became must-see TV for viewers ready to digest the latest daily outrage coming from the White House. And his vocal condemnation of GOP governors re-opening their states back in April seems stunningly prescient now, two coronavirus waves and countless deaths later. Trump wasn’t the only subject of Hayes’ wrath, either, as he wasn’t afraid to call out his Fox News timeslot rival for hypocrisy. But the MSNBC host also found a target on his own back at times, like when he indulged in some unseemly, conspiracy-curious rhetoric about the president and had to deal with a liberal online campaign urging his ouster for daring, to his credit, to address sexual misconduct allegations against Joe Biden. A complicated, controversial year, in other words, a fitting match for 2020.
54. Megyn Kelly
“No corporate overlords,” former Fox News host Megyn Kelly boasted in a September message announcing that she was starting a new podcast, The Megyn Kelly Show. The former star of Fox News prime time and NBC News daytime managed to break into the news cycle repeatedly in subsequent weeks, battling with billionaire Mark Cuban over the NBA’s tacit support for the Chinese regime’s oppression of Uighurs and drawing attention from the president for her praise of his “well-tempered” performance in the second presidential debate. Kelly is a household name so she can often make news, or create controversy, with just a tweet. And this year was a big one for former industry titans heading out on their own with independent ventures. Kelly is primed to be one of the most influential of the pack and will likely maintain more of a profile, and influence, than most of the current cable news stars.
53. Arnon Mishkin
Of all the players in the 2020 presidential election, one of the most consequential was Arnon Mishkin. On election night, the polling expert, analyst, and longtime chief of the Fox News Decision Desk called Arizona for Biden just hours after polls closed in the state, much to the surprise of pretty much everyone – not least of all Team Trump, whose response was swift, and angry. Jared Kushner reportedly got in touch with Rupert Murdoch directly to demand the network retract the call, and within days, Trump and his surrogates were trying to undermine Mishkin’s credibility. (Did a New York Times September profile of Mishkin predict this scenario? Maybe.) None of the attacks on Mishkin worked. Not deliberately pointed questioning from Bret Baier on election night, not calls to retract, and not criticism from Fox opinion hosts. Murdoch, and the news side of the network, backed Mishkin’s Arizona call, and the other networks eventually drew the same conclusion. Years from now, when the story of the 2020 election is told, Mishkin will be remembered as someone who put data and expertise ahead of politics and pressure.
52. Robin Roberts
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Good Morning America is one of several studio shows mentioned on this list that dramatically changed in 2020 without the benefit of a studio audience. Robin Roberts’ rapport with the crowd is a major strength of her broadcast repertoire, and one of the reasons the show has thrived in recent years. But even though she couldn’t feed off the fans’ energy in 2020, the GMA co-anchor didn’t miss a beat. Roberts showed off her range with a series of high-profile, serious interviews. In early June, she had a powerful conversation with Terence Floyd — the brother of George Floyd — who pleaded for peace after days of unrest in Minneapolis. And just last week, she scored with the first solo sit-down with Kamala Harris since the election. Thanks in large part to Roberts’ skillful stewardship, GMA has extended its lead in total ratings over its chief competitor, NBC’s Today. Roberts also seems to have managed to stay out of the political fray as so many mainstream media leaders have been pegged and targeted. Without a doubt, Roberts — along with colleagues George Stephanopoulos and Michael Strahan — is truly waking up a big part of America. (Disclosure: Dan Abrams, who owns this site, is the chief legal analyst for Good Morning America.)
51. Jeanine Pirro
Thanks to bombastic monologues defending President Trump and assailing his opponents, Jeanine Pirro has established her Saturday night show as the most-watched hour on weekend cable news. The audience is fairly astonishing: In 2020, an average of 2.8 million people tuned into Justice With Judge Jeanine at 9 p.m. That included 347,000 in the advertiser coveted 25-54 age demo, who watched the former prosecutor’s weekly assault on any and all who stood in Trump’s way, including even conservative hero Bill Barr. Pirro informed the attorney general this month: “You are so deep in the swamp you can’t see beyond your fellow reptiles.” As in previous years that Pirro made this list, an enormous part of her influence is thanks to one important viewer, President Trump, who in return rewards the host with exclusive interviews.
50. Norah O’Donnell
As the anchor of the CBS Evening News, Norah O’Donnell is one of three faces of the nightly broadcast news renaissance. Among her 2020 highlights, O’Donnell was the one who prompted President-elect Joe Biden to enunciate his position on the Defund the Police movement. And it was O’Donnell who pressed Vice President Mike Pence about the Trump administration’s efforts to repeal Obamacare despite offering no health care alternative plan in the midst of a pandemic. O’Donnell’s work on 60 Minutes, her side gig, proved equally influential when she interviewed whistleblower Dr. Rick Bright and gleaned his early insight into the Trump’s coronavirus mismanagement. And also on the Sunday night newsmagazine, O’Donnell got the coveted assignment of interviewing Biden and Kamala Harris in their last major sit-down before the election. Despite a 7-year run from Scott Pelley, the CBS Evening News has had trouble for the better part of the last two decades since moving on from Dan Rather. But this time, the network may finally have reason for confidence that it has found its anchor.
49. Mark Levin
Mark Levin still claims to hate Mediaite. This year he has called our staff “unhinged,” “Low IQ,” “buffoons,” “morons,” and labelled the site a “Trump-hating propaganda mill for suckers.” Still, we appreciate all of our readers, and our compulsion for clear-eyed analysis compels us to note that Levin remains startlingly influential. His books are multiple-week number one best sellers and his radio show has a huge audience. Add to that his popular 8 p.m. Sunday interview show on Fox News, Life, Liberty, and Levin, ensuring the host remains a linchpin in the network’s weekend programming. “The Great One” — as Sean Hannity calls the similarly pro-Trump Levin — also routinely appears on Hannity’s eponymous show to deliver his trademark, high-intensity indictments of the left and the mainstream media, often with heaping helpings of hyperbole. In the aftermath of Election Day, Levin has become one of the most vocal right-wing voices rejecting Joe Biden’s victory, self-identifying with a new “resistance” to the incoming administration and mainstreaming the unfounded claims that the election was stolen and calling for the Supreme Court to intervene over alleged violations of the Constitution.
48. Kaitlan Collins
Since joining CNN in 2017, Kaitlan Collins has been one of the most acerbic members of the White House press corps and a major source of information about the Trump administration. The White House has repeatedly tried to ban the 28-year-old reporter from press events rather than face her questions, and they attempted to undermine her again this year by shunting her to the back of the briefing room. But no matter how hard they try, the White House can’t keep this intrepid correspondent from making a splash. In 2020, Collins supplanted her colleague Jim Acosta as the administration’s main foil in the briefing room. Moreover, a network of strong sources allowed Collins to give viewers a keen sense of Trump’s state of mind. Her work during election week cut through the noise, and painted a vivid picture of what was going on behind closed doors in the West Wing. And when the press pool got its very first post-election crack at the president on Thanksgiving day, Collins was the key interrogator.
47. Brian Williams
Brian Williams is the host of MSNBC’s The 11th Hour, where he has spent the last four years turning the previously-unprogrammed 11 p.m. slot into appointment TV for news junkies. While other night-time news programs spend the evening rehashing the same handful of stories that developed earlier in the day, Williams fills his panels with narrative-setting journalists who often preview scoops or themes that will dominate the next day’s news, giving viewers a head start rather than a recap. And while the substance of The 11th Hour is a draw, it’s not the only draw. The veteran newsman’s personality shines through in the dry wit and cutting quips he brings to the table — as well as more serious commentary.
In 2021, look for Williams to continue his reign as the King of the 11th Hour.
46. Chris Ruddy
Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images
When Fox News anchors began speaking a truth that President Trump and his fans did not want to hear in the days after the election, Newsmax CEO Chris Ruddy saw an opportunity for his fledgling network. Where Fox was telling its viewers Joe Biden was the president-elect, Newsmax held off until the electoral college voted (they don’t have an election desk that can actually make projections, it should be noted). Where Fox’s hard news shows were reluctant to entertain the president’s baseless claims of a stolen election, Newsmax gave them credence. The result was a dramatic audience surge in the fourth quarter of 2020, as MAGA fans were presented with a brand new, Trump-endorsed broadcast alternative. On some nights, 7 p.m. host Greg Kelly has topped 1 million total viewers — an eye-popping number for the network. And while Newsmax has miles to go to even approach Fox News in the ratings, Ruddy says he’s in it for the long haul. “It’s more of a war than a battle,” the CEO said on Mediaite’s The Interview podcast in November.
