Mediaite’s (Best of the Rest) Most Influential in News Media 2017
Liz Plank
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 continues to thrive at Vox with a new show focusing on women. While her cable new presence has abated somewhat in 2017, she has been no less a strong and unwithering voice for gender equality, which given the reckoning of the #MeToo movement, has never been more important. (CH)
Jesse Rodriquez
While the name Jesse Rodriguez may not sound familiar to the casual viewer of cable news, his behind-the-scenes production work at Morning Joe has helped boost MSNBC’s morning show to where it is today. Rodriguez, who has been with NBC since 2007, has come a long way from helping a local CBS affiliate win the Edward R. Murrow award in 2006 by breaking the story of Fidel Castro granting his brother Raul Castro presidential duties. Those great guests on the show? Well, often that is thanks to Rodriguez. And due to all of his hard work, Rodriguez was recently named the director of bookings for all of MSNBC, along with Sarah Baker. (CE)
Luke Rosiak
You may not have heard of Luke Rosiak, but if you’ve heard about the scandal over Debbie Wasserman Schultz’s former IT staffer Imram Awan, it may have been through one of his investigative reports for the Daily Caller. With an avalanche of news happening almost every day, Rosiak has regularly been keeping tabs on this underreported (and kind of crazy) piece of news. (JF)
Jonathan Swan
If Axios co-founder Mike Allen is the new John Harris (Politico’s co-founder), then Swan is the new Mike Allen (Politico’s first hire and leading voice). The national political reporter for Axios helped make the site a must-visit destination for anyone in the know by providing scoop after scoop. Throw in some consistent MSNBC hits, and you have all the makings of a budding star. (JD)
Ben Shapiro
The young conservative made his name as the original owner-of-the-libs, now the national pastime for many pro-Trumpers. But after his exile from Breitbart, Ben Shapiro set himself apart from his compatriots with vehement opposition to President Trump. Shapiro now spends his time terrifying students on liberal college campuses, serving as editor of the Daily Wire, and sparring with both Trumpists and Democrats with equally impressive doses of rhetorical skill. He was even the subject of a (quite generous) New York Times profile out in late 2017, which dubbed him “the voice of the conservative millennial movement.” (AM)
Dave Weigel
Prog Rock aficionado and occasionally mustachioed Dave Weigel seems to have a remarkably unique way of finding himself at the center of media-related controversies, and 2017 was no different. Most recently, after he tweeted, deleted and then apologized for an errant photo he tweeted suggesting poor turnout for a pro-Roy Moore rally in Pensacola, President Donald Trump literally called for The Washington Post to fire Weigel. This was reasonably seen as free press issue and temporarily elevated Weigel to First Amendment Rights martyr status in some circles. But the indefatigable and prosaic writer took the high road and has continued to focus on the sharp political analysis and insight that makes him worthy of inclusion on these sorts of list year in and year out. (CH)
Erik Wemple
In this postmodern age in which every other navel-gazer who ever questioned the ephemeral nature meaning can call themselves a media critic, the talented set stand out. And that’s Erik Wemple — the media critics’ media critic. His Washington Post media column is a must-read for anyone interested in someone who consistently and fairly calls balls and strikes. (CH)
Jeff Zeleny
CNN’s Jeff Zeleny started his 2017 off with a bang as the cable news network offered him a spot as their senior White House correspondent. He has since capitalized on the position by sometimes ripping into the administration, asking confrontational questions to the White House press secretaries, and even receiving on-air hate mail from cable news king Sean Hannity. (CE)
