2021's challenges for journalism

·18 min·1 clip

Jim VandeHei, co-founder of Axios and Politico, reflects on media performance and trust in the last episode of Axios Recap.

The episode begins with host Naomi Shaben announcing it as the last installment of Axios Recap, focusing on journalistic responsibility with guest Jim VandeHei. VandeHei, a longtime journalist and co-founder of Axios and Politico, reflects on how covering Washington has changed, citing the Capitol riot and election denial as new, irreversible challenges. He describes a divided America where many Republicans distrust media, leading to more liberal-leaning factions in response. VandeHei outlines Axios's approach: clinical, direct reporting that checks ideology at the door to approximate truth and persuade reasonable audiences. When asked about media bias, he notes that covering Trump involved more fact-checking due to false statements, while Biden has faced tough coverage on issues like Afghanistan. He criticizes the lack of nuance in politics, where contradictory truths are ignored. VandeHei argues that media should focus less on politics and more on transformative topics like 5G, automation, and climate change. To rebuild trust, he suggests local news investments allow people to touch and feel information, making it harder to manipulate. He shares lessons from local media, emphasizing community hunger for news and the viability of investing in people over property. VandeHei admits media mishandled the defund the police movement by not being clinical early on, which fueled conservative criticism. He acknowledges increased ideology in journalism, partly driven by Twitter, and stresses the need for humility and admitting mistakes. Looking ahead, he expresses cautious optimism about media models centered on consumer needs, citing improvements at the New York Times and Washington Post. The episode ends with Shaben thanking the production team and promoting Axios Today.

As heard by us

A final Axios conversation about trust, local news, and journalism's limits.

Axios Recap closes by weighing journalistic responsibility, public trust, local news, and the unease that follows when people stop looking to institutions for explanation.

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If you care how journalism tries to earn back trust, start here.

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