An eon ago, in 2012, an editor at my first job at U.S. News and World Report had the idea of creating a YouTube channel for news content. It wasn’t about a full pivot to video but rather a bet on an emerging platform where some creators were going viral with news-based content. I was nervous, unconfident, lacked media training, never used a smartphone, and had no idea what I was doing behind the camera. The videos we made, like Head Injury Studies Continue to Cause Alarm in NFL, Are the Politics of Climate Change Shifting?, and Which Party Will Get the ‘Internet Vote’?, were poorly edited, sounded weird, and received no traction. I did this job reluctantly as part of a newsroom-wide initiative.
Key Takeaways
- The Washington Post recently invested $80,000 in new audio and video gear for its Make It Make Sense podcast, a shift rightward to focus on content favored by billionaire- and free market-friendly audiences.
- The podcast is not popular, with many episodes garnering fewer than 30 views. Some have reached triple digits based on hate watches from people clowning the show in recent days.
- Worse still, these videos are far less engaging than U.S. News’ previous video content, which had a highly competent team making successful video content and was known for its innovative TikTok channel.
- The Washington Post‘s new studio did not improve the quality of the podcast; some episodes have fewer than 30 views despite being posted less than two weeks prior to this writing, with only one video reaching over 160 views.
- This project is part of a broader trend where talented journalists are laid off while their channels and feeds are repurposed for an executive’s passion projects, often staffed by people who lack experience in creating engaging content. These projects frequently fail and are ignored into obscurity.
Originally published at 404media.co. Curated by AI Maestro.
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