In a political climate where the President rails against “fake news,” coverage of the news media seems to have broken into the mainstream. Previously dominated by a small group of mainstream outlets like the New York Times and a wide assortment of niche websites and publications like TVNewser, mainstream news outlets are increasingly beefing up their media news coverage or in some cases beginning to cover the topic.
Claire Atkinson has joined NBC News as a media reporter. Atkinson was previously the media reporter for the New York Post and she will be NBC News’s only media reporter. NBC News did not respond to a request for comment.
Brian Flood recently announced via Twitter that he had left The Wrap where he was their media reporter. However, he soon thereafter announced that he was Fox News’s media reporter. Fox News has had a media-focused television show since 1997 with Fox News Watch and now Media Buzz (styled as #MediaBuzz). Howard Kurtz, the host of Media Buzz and a former media reporter for the Washington Post, serves as a media reporter and critic for the news network. A Fox News spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment about Fox News’s media coverage.
Politico is also in the process of rebuilding its media desk after a string of departures. The news organization recently announced that Michael Calderone would be rejoining Politico as a senior media reporter and anchoring their Morning Media newsletter.
CNN has also built up a sizable media desk with several reporters covering the beat. Brian Stelter, who founded the popular industry site TVNewser before moving to the New York Times, writes a popular nightly newsletter in addition to articles and the weekly Reliable Sources program. CNN also hired Dylan Byers and Hadas Gold away from Politico and the two continue to report on media.
The New York Times, which was impacted by departures and layoffs, underwent a rebuilding of its media desk several years ago. The news organization has had a strong emphasis on cable news networks with a recent deep dive on CNN and reporting on sexual harassment issues at Fox News.