Mediaite's Most Influential in News Media 2025
It’s no secret how impactful presidential election years are to the state of our nation. But something that often goes overlooked is just how impactful the years after a presidential election are for the state of our media. For television networks, newspapers, digital outlets, and now podcasters and YouTubers, there is almost always some type of reset which happens when a new president takes office.
The changes can be subtle — a new White House correspondent who covered the winning campaign, a departing anchor who wanted to go out on top with the thrill of covering one last election night. Or, the changes can be enormous. Outlets changing editorial directions. Networks getting renamed. Major independent personalities reinventing themselves.
This year, the changes to the media landscape were truly massive. A big three cable news network rebranded. A relative neophyte took over one of the most acclaimed news brands in the world — and picked up a nine-figure payday to boot. And many new faces emerged in many new places.
But that can’t be too surprising. Because really, how could the changes to the media be anything less than seismic, given the ultimate disruptor, President Donald Trump, assumed office? This, after all, is a president who consumes media so ravenously — and is so consumed by it. It is central to his very being. He rewards the outlets and personalities who favor him, and he punishes those who cross him. His mere presence has changed the media industry as it has so many others.
The definitive media figures in 2025 were the ones who adjusted better than others. They aren’t all pro-Trump, or anti-Trump. But what they have in common is the ability to adapt quickly to this new media world. They saw the changing landscape and quickly carved out their place in it.
Today, Mediaite recognizes the 75 Most Influential in News Media for 2025. Each year, we get asked how we define influence. There is, of course, hard data that gets taken into account — such as TV ratings, book sales, social media followings, YouTube subscribers. That’s the easy part.
But then, there’s the stuff that isn’t so easy to define — like buzz. When there’s buzz around a particular figure, you just know it. And that’s an important quality that our 75 Most Influential all have in varying degrees. It’s also a quality that’s very difficult to measure.
Nonetheless, we’ve spent the better part of the last three months trying to do it. The end result is this list. We hope you enjoy it, debate it, and share it with your friends and colleagues. That is to say — help us generate buzz.
Without further ado, the writers and editors of Mediaite are proud to present our 2025 selections for the Most Influential in News Media.
This list was written by Ahmad Austin Jr., Jennifer Bowers Bahney, Tommy Christopher, Joe DePaolo, Tom Durante, David Gilmour, Alex Griffing, Colby Hall, Sean James, Zachary Leeman, Michael Luciano, Sarah Rumpf, and Isaac Schorr.
75. Reagan Reese
It’s the first year of the Trump administration. A 20-something fresh-on-the-scene female reporter takes a prominent role in the White House briefing room as correspondent for the right-wing Daily Caller. She’s frequently called on by President Trump’s press secretary, but unlike many of the reporters representing Trump-friendly outlets, her questions are sometimes centered on topics the administration would rather not discuss. She might not be the biggest foil in the briefing room, but she doesn’t always tee up the press secretary to spew talking points either.
In 2017, the correspondent fitting that description was Kaitlan Collins. In 2025, it’s Reagan Reese. And while it seems impossible for Reese — or almost anyone — to fully match the meteoric rise of Collins, it seems clear that Reese’s career path is very much on the ascent.
Long before the entire press corps circled in on the Jeffrey Epstein story, Reese — on several occasions — confronted both the president and press secretary Karoline Leavitt on the whereabouts of the Epstein files. Her persistent questioning on the subject forced the administration to make the awkward announcement, in early July, that they were backtracking on their promise to release the files — kick-starting a controversy that dominated the latter half of Trump 2.0’s first year. And when Trump considers a policy that won’t go over well with conservatives, Reese has shown she’s willing to hold the president’s feet to the fire — one example being the story she broke in November detailing an internal revolt against the 50-year mortgage scheme Trump floated publicly.
Ex-Daily Caller editor Geoff Ingersoll penned a splashy op-ed in May calling for conservative reporters to challenge Trump from the right. Reese often seems to heed that call from her former boss, and that separates her from the Lindell TV-types that litter the briefing room. And hey, just look at what a work method similar to that did for Collins.
74. Emily Sundberg
A lot of the names on this year’s list are old school legacy media folks — Emily Sundberg is definitely not one of them. Her daily Substack newsletter is a scorching hot new media product. You might even call her the media “It Girl” of 2025.
Sundberg’s influential Feed Me newsletter chronicles what she calls the “spirit of enterprise” — offering subscribers a healthy dose of business, media, fashion, finance, tech scoops and analysis. Feed Me also offers readers a steady diet of industry tips, job postings, and in-depth conversations with biz and media heavy hitters.
That digital smorgasbord has made it a go-to destination, with Feed Me routinely ranked among the top 5 business Substack newsletters and many in media and beyond clamoring for a mention. Finance people want to be in media, tech folks want to be in fashion, media folks want to be rich. She now offers a buzzy destination for all of them to learn, and dream.
73. Alex Thompson
(Andy Kropa/Invision/AP photo)
It was a breakout year for Alex Thompson — as co-author of the political book of the year, the explosive tome Original Sin, which laid bare the cover up of former President Joe Biden’s cognitive decline. Thompson and his Original Sin cohort Jake Tapper blanketed the airwaves for weeks, as producers tripped over themselves to book a writing duo who always seemed to make news.
There was perhaps no greater testament to the clout Thompson now holds in the business when — on April 26 — the Axios correspondent took the podium at the White House Correspondents Dinner. That night, he told a notoriously tough audience, to their faces, that all of them — himself included — had blown the story of Biden’s decline. Rather than turn Thompson into an industry pariah after such a stunning callout, the prevailing sentiment was that he was right. It takes a truly powerful figure to get personalities in an ego-driven industry to take such a candid look in the mirror.
But all of that was really the crowning jewel for Thompson who has been an influential national political correspondent for Axios since early 2023, making him part of an outlet that has grown into an equal of Politico in narrative-setting influence. He continues to show he’s wired in on both sides by churning out regular big scoops. And he’s growing his presence in front of the camera, as his outlet has entrusted him to be one of the front men for their new program, The Axios Show.
72. Lara Trump
(Charles Sykes/Invision/AP photo)
In the beginning of the year, Lara Trump resigned from her position as co-chair of the Republican National Committee, before debuting a new show — My View with Lara Trump — on Fox News just a month later. Though she weighed a Senate bid in North Carolina, it now seems that she’s in the media world to stay — thanks to an incredible run of guests week after week.
Sure, she gets her father-in-law but she also gets access to some fascinating White House staffers the public seldom hears from, such as Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Deputy Chief of Staff Dan Scavino — both of whom are far more powerful than the public realizes.
And the title of the show. My View may not do her justice. The program has showcased a far more broad range of perspectives than just that of the host, or even the Trump administration. Charlamagne Tha God and Democratic Senator John Fetterman were two of the more surprising, notable guests.
And she’s even shown a surprising willingness to leave the friendly confines of Fox News — sitting down with the likes of Bill Maher for a recent taping of the Club Random podcast. Expect more of that going forward from a media star to watch.
71. Katy Tur
In 2025, Katy Tur became one of the industry’s quiet stabilizers — an anchor who pulls off the deft trick of lowering the temperature without lowering the stakes. Network brass expanded her show to two hours this year, in a clear vote of confidence. And why shouldn’t they be confident in Tur — whose show has become a kind of civic checkpoint for MS NOW’s liberal viewers and shellshocked centrists.
When a lawmaker dodges — as Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA) learned during a tough interview with Tur in November after his vote to end the government shutdown — she pushes back with a firm, almost surgical calm.
“I’m not making things up,” she told the senator, as she called out the inter-party criticism he was facing over his vote. It’s that blend of steadiness and spine that makes her uniquely capable of puncturing political performance without becoming part of it.
She still brings the muscle memory of a field reporter. You can hear it when she covers riots in Los Angeles, or when she asks blunt questions that other anchors tiptoe around – including a controversial moment this September in the chaotic moments after the shooting of Charlie Kirk, when she wondered aloud whether President Trump might use the assassination “as a justification for something bad.” The remark set off a wave of backlash, with critics accusing her of politicizing a tragedy. But Tur ended up having made a fair point, she just said it before anyone else was willing to go there.
In a year ruled by spectacle, Katy Tur proved that clarity, compassion, and unshakable grounding can cut deeper than any shout.
70. Ruthless
It was a big year for the “Lil’ Variety Progrum That Could.” Ruthless, the conservative podcast hosted by Shashank Tripathi (aka Comfortably Smug), Josh Holmes, John Ashbrook, and Michael Duncan continued to perform incredibly well on the charts and was a magnet for high-profile Republican guests in 2025. Trump administration staffers and other top Republicans clear out their schedules for extended sitdowns with the quartet — because they understand just how much these guys move the needle.
They were the very first podcast to be invited to the “new media” seat in the White House briefing room — which tells you all you need to know about how the folks at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue view them. And indeed, the podcast scored a valuable licensing agreement with Fox News Media that should not only help it grow in the years to come, but has also yielded plenty of appearances on Fox’s much-watched airwaves for the quartet of rising stars who have made the transition into media after spending years in GOP politics.
The relationship appears to be benefiting both sides. Sure, Ruthless is expanding its footprint with the Fox machine behind them. Their 2025 downloads are up by 83% over 2024, and they’re up 67% in minutes watched on YouTube. But having the podcast officially in the fold has benefited Fox as well. If there’s an Outnumbered panel that needs spicing up, or a dayside show that needs some revelry, these guys are a go-to.
69. Olivia Nuzzi & Ryan Lizza
Really, is there a more fitting spot in these rankings for the duo at the center of one of the biggest sex scandals in recent journalistic history? The soap opera between the soon-to-be former Vanity Fair West Coast editor and the Telos News founder has had media insiders’ group chats buzzing for the better part of two months. Sure, Nuzzi’s tome American Canto — the roman-a-clef chronicling her “digital affair” with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. — was a bomb on the sales charts. But that wasn’t for lack of a massive rollout that made clear there’s still incredible curiosity surrounding Nuzzi.
Her ex, Ryan Lizza, published one of the splashiest — and most-read — pieces of independent journalism this year. His blockbuster story revealing an alleged affair between Nuzzi and former South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford drew an eye-popping audience in excess of 700,000 readers — many of whom plunked down cash to receive further installments of the sordid tale.
While this particular squabble will fade, it seems highly unlikely these two will simply fade into the background of the American media consciousness. They’ve proved way too adept at keeping the spotlight on themselves and Nuzzi, in particular, will likely have another chapter in her career. While she brought much of this on herself, it hardly seems fair that she has now lost two jobs while RFK Jr. keeps thriving.
68. Jennifer Welch
In 2025, Jennifer Welch, co-host of the explosive I’ve Had It podcast alongside Angie “Pumps” Sullivan, emerged as a highly controversial and provocative progressive force — channeling palpable rage against President Donald Trump and his administration, as well as Democratic complacency in the face of an electoral bloodbath.
On cable news panels that have become a geyser for viral social media clips, Welch has been a dominant and practiced provocateur in verbal jousts with the likes of Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary — whom she accused of defending the “biggest whining titty baby” in President Trump.
She unquestionably pushes the envelope, but hasn’t yet burned her bridges in the cable news world. During one particularly heated debate on CNN NewsNight, Welch put anchor Abby Phillip in an awkward spot when she said, “And then you have these real sociopaths that are real antisemites, true White supremacists like Stephen Miller. And even though he’s Jewish, he’s like a Nazi Jew.”
Welch stoked MAGA anger by slamming Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk’s widow Erika Kirk as a “grifter” exploiting women’s issues. These often too hot takes have made her a regular villain on Fox News and other conservative media. But the invites have kept on coming, because she knows how to push buttons — for better and for worse.
Welch has also been unabashed in her criticism of Democratic leaders from the left who she called “p*ssies” for not supporting progressives. Her frequent CNN/MS NOW appearances and podcast’s massive reach only figure to grow in 2026 as Democrats gear up for the midterms.
67. Joe Kernen
Joe Kernen spent 2025 doing what Joe Kernen does best: puncturing egos, challenging liberal spin, and waking up the business world one raised eyebrow at a time. While co-host Andrew Ross Sorkin brings the charts and diplomacy, Kernen brings the gut instinct and the gloves-off energy — giving CNBC’s Squawk Box the edge that keeps it the most watched show inside corporate America’s war rooms.
Kernen’s swagger is one part longevity and two parts blunt force candor, the kind that executives tune in for and officials dread – half businessman’s common sense, half bar-stool skepticism.
Sure, he brazenly backed Trump in 2024 and, yes, that bias raises its head from time-to-time. But he’s no blind MAGA loyalist, and he’s been at his best this year when he’s pressed administration officials until they hand over their lunch money. With the economy lurching through layoffs, tariffs, cuts and a Federal Reserve caught between fire alarms, numerous Trump officials found themselves cowering in the Kernen hot seat this year: Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, NEC director Kevin Hassett and Education Sec. Linda McMahon among them.
And when Kernen doesn’t buy what you’re saying, he tells you straight out. He proved that in a stunning June interview with President Trump by flat-out laughing when the president fired off his routine false claim of a “rigged” 2020 election.
And that’s why he continues to resonate for an audience that feels equally alienated by Washington spin and Wall Street speak. Like him or not, he’s one of the few remaining anchors who can swing markets with a Dow-crippling tone, a sigh, or a well-timed “Come on…”
66. Lachlan Cartwright & Oliver Darcy
Oliver Darcy and Lachlan Cartwright both struck out on their own after years working for other outlets — Darcy at CNN, and Cartwright at The Daily Beast, Vanity Fair and The Hollywood Reporter, among others.
Both were probably nervous about the moves and now both are likely thrilled they jumped.
In the first full year since Oliver Darcy struck out on his own from CNN, his Status newsletter (now accompanied by a new podcast called Power Lines) has racked up scoops, subscriptions, and new staffers. He’s brought on board his former CNN colleague Jon Passantino as executive editor, veteran entertainment reporter Brian Lowry as Hollywood correspondent and editor, and Vanity Fair’s media correspondent Natalie Korach.
With the expanded staff, Darcy has led Status to be a scoop machine — with the newsletter being the first to report on various twists in the Paramount-Skydance merger, internal unrest at major media organizations like The Washington Post and Los Angeles Times, various behind-the-scenes dramas at Fox News and Elon Musk’s X, and the ongoing fallout from the feud between Olivia Nuzzi and Ryan Lizza. (Darcy was the one who broke the news about Nuzzi’s affair with Robert F. Kennedy Jr. last year, and has been on top of it ever since.) Darcy recently broke the news of Tony Dokoupil being tapped to take over the anchor desk at CBS Evening News, putting the cherry on top of a great year for him and his must-read newsletter.
Darcy may be more media insider, with Cartwright adopting more the role of outsider. If Darcy is more The New York Times of media newsletters, then Cartwright would be more New York Post. Cartwright newsletter and podcast also regularly broke big stories in the political, entertainment, tech, and media worlds, often with an edge or he might be shedding context or light on a previously uncovered aspect of a story that’s burning up everyone’s social media feeds. His reporting this year included details about the aftermath of a New York Post reporter getting suspended after accusing his editor-in-chief of killing a story about Trump, getting Joe Scarborough to share why he still talks with the president, behind-the-scenes dish about the WSJ’s bombshell report on a birthday card Trump sent Jeffrey Epstein (and Trump’s unsuccessful efforts to kill that story), and his own scoops on the RFK-Lizza-Nuzzi kerfuffle.
With the long list of sources and the extensive knowledge Darcy and Cartwright have built up over the years as media reporters, it all results in two of the top must-read newsletters – a true accomplishment in a political media landscape littered with what seems like a new Substack launching daily.