As media companies turn to influencers, concerns grow about the role of non-journalists and the diminishing influence of traditional journalism in shaping un-bias, critical conversations.
In the run-up to the U.S. presidential election, popular podcasters Joe Rogan and Alex Cooper both interviewed the candidates. They were granted access to two of the most important people in the country, having the chance to ask them questions and give them a platform to discuss the U.S. and what they wanted to do to help it.
However, neither Cooper nor Rogan are journalists. They are the faces of two of the most popular podcasts in the U.S., with an average of ten million listeners per episode, respectively, but neither have any journalistic credentials.
Popular influencers who start their own podcasts or popular creators who get spots on red carpets to interview celebrities, often have no academic interviewing skills, and it is sometimes glaringly obvious.
In March, NBC News covered this, “Should creators be interviewing celebrities at red carpet events? Depends on who you ask.” The piece quoted Franchesca Ramsey, a TV writer, “It’s very clear to me that a lot of the influencers that are getting these opportunities have not done their homework and are just winging it.”
More and more influencers and creators are getting jobs that would usually go to trained journalists who have been trying to work their way up the job ladder for years. Instead, a popular creator who may already have ties to the industry will be offered the role.
Reality TV stars, such as Jamie Laing and Sam Thompson, have both entered the media space and received backlash. Laing has taken up a spot on Radio One as a presenter, and Thompson has conducted interviews for Hits UK on press junkets.
A user on X commented on how unfair this could be to journalists, “I actually feel sorry for journalists that have pursued the career, been through the schooling, got the degree and have realistically no chance of getting anywhere without major roadblocks because all the opportunities are being given to unqualified Reality TV and TikTok ‘stars’.”
Many argue that if the creator has done enough research and is already in the sector they are interviewing in (e.g. a film creator doing an interview for a new movie), they are the right person, and their followers have helped them get noticed. However, it can be damaging, not only for journalistic integrity but for the reputation of creators in general.
Overall, it does have negative implications for journalism. Graduates and new journalists are already struggling to find jobs, and with the addition of AI lurking in the air ominously, it is fair to question how many of these creators are actually qualified.
How many are pushing back at answers people give them, or following up with another to get a good answer? Are these interviews all superficial?
The only way to see change is to hold people to account and push back when it is clear someone is under-qualified like you would with any other job.