April 19, 2025, 4:00 PM GMT+6
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Amid the sea of conservative talk radio, I’ve been working as a progressive in independent media for nearly two decades hosting a popular political talk program, “The David Pakman Show.” During this time, I’ve observed a shifting media landscape that has left many politically progressive content creators — and our audiences — frustrated, confused and sometimes defeated and despondent. But I’ve also witnessed firsthand that there is a path forward, even in this age of mass misinformation, echo chambers and reactionary politics.
As misinformation and media illiteracy have plagued the already fractured American political system, much of the left would like to think this phenomenon is confined to right-wing bubbles. But progressives must grapple with the new reality: The right’s echo machine has been thriving among all online audiences and is spreading. In a study of popular online shows active in 2024, the results showed that nine of the 10 most popular shows were right-leaning, accounting for at least 197 million total followers and subscribers. Of these right-leaning shows, only four are categorized as “News and Politics” on Apple Podcasts. Additionally, 72% of 111 supposedly nonpolitical shows were found to have an ideological bent to the right.
The Pew Research survey from August 2024, ahead of the election, about 1 in 5 Americans said they regularly get their news from social media. President Donald Trump and his allies effectively leveraged nontraditional platforms — podcasts, TikTok and influencer-driven content — to reach an audience feeling economically insecure and culturally alienated. This was especially prevalent among young male voters ages 18-29 who gravitated toward figures that emerged through gaming, fitness, financial advice and lifestyle platforms that seamlessly wove together political messages into content young men already enjoy, often offering an entry point to conservative ideology. Progressive voices, by contrast, too often relied on late-stage symbolic gestures or vague messaging that failed to resonate. In the recent election, even the too little came too late, with efforts to create a left-of-center media ecosystem equivalent to that of the right starting far too late to make an impact.
While progressive media doesn’t need to mimic right-wing tactics directly, as the most recent podcast conversation between California Gov. Gavin Newsom and right-wing activist Charlie Kirk would suggest — indeed, that would be a mistake — we can’t ignore the ecosystem entirely. What we must do is understand, engage and address why these online and independent platforms are so effective.
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