“Alternative Media,” Star Power, and the New Normal: Prepping for the Politics of a New Trump Era

Inside the Hive

Vanity Fair

News

4.2 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 12 December 2024

⏱️ 36 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

There was no shortage of finger-pointing and recrimination among the chattering classes after Donald Trump’s election. But now, as the dust settles and 2024 comes to a close, it’s high time for some soul-searching and reflection, That’s the goal of this year’s final episode of Inside the Hive, where Brian Stelter—who returned to his alma mater as Chief Media Analyst at CNN earlier this year—is joined by Hive Editor Michael Calerone and Executive Editor Claire Howorth to unpack what they got wrong in 2024 as well as the lessons they can take into next year. For one, as Howorth points out, that means redefining what constitutes “alternative media,” which proved unexpectedly instrumental in turning out new parts of Trump’s base. Calderone also adds that political charisma and celebrity also can’t go underestimated, arguing that Democrats should strive to elevate leaders who can communicate effectively in a variety of formats. “The next person,” he says, “is gonna need star power.”

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, it's Radica Jones, editor-in-chief of Vanity Fair.
0:05.3	If you love digging into the week's political headlines, subscribe to Vanity Fair.
0:10.7	Our reporters take you behind the scenes of some of the biggest stories from the campaign trail to the halls of Congress.
0:17.2	Just for our Inside the Hive listeners, save 15% on a yearly digital subscription to Vanity Fair with promo code Pod 15.
0:25.8	That's VanityFair.com, promo code pod 15 for 15% off one year of all you can read, watch, and hear.
0:38.5	Michael, what did you learn this year?
0:40.8	What did 2024 teach you?
0:43.9	I think we had to expect the unexpected.
0:48.1	When we were sitting here about a year ago,
0:50.5	anticipating a Donald Trump Joe Biden face off the following November.
0:54.8	I don't think any of us would have anticipated the chain of events that happened with a CNN
1:00.0	debate in June, followed by an assassination attempt, followed by Joe Biden dropping out.
1:06.3	It was one of the most tumultuous news cycles I think we've ever seen.
1:10.4	And that was just the summer. Right. That was've ever seen. And that was just the summer.
1:11.5	Right. That was just the summer. And that was just the summer. And that was just leading into the
1:14.5	political conventions and the fall as we got to the 2024 elections. So I think we, you know,
1:21.8	we had to be nimble in ways that we never, ever expected. That is Michael Cauteron, editor of Vanity Fair's The Hive.
1:28.9	Also with us here in the studio is Claire Howorth, our fearless executive editor. And I'm Brian
1:34.8	Stelter. Welcome back to Inside the Hive. Before we fully jump into today's episode, I just want to
1:41.4	say thank you for tuning in. This is officially my last episode hosting
1:45.8	the show for Vanity Fair now that I've returned to CNN full-time as their chief media analyst.
1:51.2	It has been such a pleasure serving as your host since the spring of 2023, back when I signed
	...

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