If you need any more evidence that the mainstream media is out of touch, just look at its bitter response to Joe Rogan’s three-hour interview with Donald Trump.
Instead of being shocked into self-reflection at the runaway popularity of the Rogan-Trump episode, the mainstream media’s clumsy and platitudinous response is like that of a boring lecturer who never realizes that students’ thoughts are far, far away.
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Consider these examples of mainstream media bleating:
- Jeff Bezos moaned about “off-the-cuff podcasts” that “quickly spread disinformation.”
- CNN featured a musty “fact check” on 32 of Mr. Trump’s claims from the show.
- MSNBC columnist Dean Obeidallah claimed with a straight face that Kamala Harris’s Houston rally was more impactful “on every level.”
- An article linked Real Clear Politics begged people to not watch the Rogan-Trump show, calling it a “marathon of mediocrity.”
The mainstream media’s shopworn mold is far too brittle to make sense of what is happening here. For comparison’s sake, consider this. On any given night, CNN’s star Anderson Cooper is lucky to get 100,000 viewers. The Rogan-Trump podcast has racked up a whopping 38 million views — and counting. In less than a week. That’s more than 100 times Mr. Cooper’s best weekly average.
SEE ALSO: Jeff Myers: Should Christians avoid politics?
Forty percent of Americans tune in to a podcast at least once a month. Shows commonly run for an hour or more. My 20-something children can listen endlessly, and they’re in a generation that supposedly has an attention span of eight seconds.
Begin to rethink your role in a culture of partisan divides as Dr. Jeff Myers exposes four lies that silence Christians, keeping them sidelined in politics. Access the full series from “Summit Talks” here.
In America, podcasters deliver a Superbowl’s worth of attention every week. The most popular shows breezily mix comedy and cultural commentary in an unfiltered way. The format rewards people who are clever and funny, and it punishes those who take themselves too seriously or who are too polished. Being curious is rewarded. Reading scripts is not.
Podcasts like Mr. Rogan’s work because they remind people of the days when they could riff and joke and share information without worrying about being canceled or reported to HR. Podcasting scratches that itch by being entertaining.
The fact that podcasting’s base layer is entertainment is why most politicians are bad at it. They’re too earnest, too programmed. They worry about the headlines they’re generating. They’re afraid to joke because some jokes fall flat and are doomed to endless dissection at the hands of humorless critics.
This is why the Rogan-Trump podcast was a masterstroke for both Mr. Rogan and Mr. Trump. Mr. Trump seamlessly matched Mr. Rogan’s delivery and flow. For those who get the show’s stream-of-consciousness brand, it made perfect sense. They found it funny, vulgar, insightful, poignant, and unhinged all at the same time.
Did it bother listeners that Mr. Rogan’s and Mr. Trump’s conversation ranged from how surreal the Lincoln bedroom is to economics to MMA to environmentalism to the Kennedy files? Probably not. Real life isn’t scripted, and we’re all a little curious about what political figures will do when their scripts are taken away. Mr. Rogan’s viewing numbers don’t lie about the answer to that question.
Coifed news personalities — with their packed schedules, personal assistants, and showy docket of cocktail parties — are an alien species to most Americans. People are curious about aliens, but they don’t want them directing their lives. Whatever realness people are looking for, Joe Rogan apparently has it. And now, tens of millions of people are thinking that maybe Donald Trump has it, too.
The ground has shifted. The Washington Post reportedly lost 200,000 subscribers after failing to endorse Kamala Harris for president. I don’t think I’m alone in being surprised that it had that many subscribers to begin with. In my world, no one reads The Washington Post. They’re too busy listening to Joe Rogan and the hundreds of others whose daily influence is beyond mainstream media’s wildest dreams.
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Dr. Jeff Myers is president of Summit Ministries. As an educator and entrepreneur, Dr. Myers has become one of America’s most respected authorities on youth leadership development. Focus on the Family founder James Dobson referred to him as “a very gifted and inspirational leader.” Evangelist Josh McDowell called him “a man who is 100% sold out to preparing the next generation to reflect the character of Christ in the culture.” Through his speaking engagements and media appearances, Dr. Myers has become a fresh voice offering humor and insight from a Christian worldview. He is the author of 18 books, including the “Understanding the Faith,” “Understanding the Times,” and “Understanding the Culture” textbooks which are studied by tens of thousands of students. Dr. Myers holds a Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Denver. He continues to engage college students through an exclusive Signature Leadership Course series offered with Unbound, a project-based education company that prepares high school and college students to become leaders for Christ in the real world. Jeff and his wife Stephanie and their family live in Colorado.
Summit Ministries exists to equip and support rising generations to embrace God’s truth and champion a biblical worldview. Through conferences online, in Colorado and Georgia, and Summit’s gap year semester, tough questions are raised (and answered) and students are equipped to stand firm in their faith. Summit’s worldview curriculum for Christian schools, homeschools, and churches trains the next generation to love God with their hearts and minds. In all of these things, Summit desires to see generations of Christians mobilized to transform a broken world.
