#66 — Francesca Fiorentini (Comedian, Journalist)

Inside The Newsroom

Hello, and welcome to another edition of Inside The Newsroom! I’m vacationing in Greece this week, but that ain’t no damn reason for no podcast. Bad English aside, today’s guest is… Francesca Fiorentini, journalist, author, comedian and officially the funniest person to grace Inside The Newsroom’s airwaves. Francesca is the host and head writer of Newsbroke on AJ+, contributor to The Young Turks, and host of Red, White and Who? on MSNBC. Below’s a post-game of everything we talked about and more. But first, my top articles of the week… Enjoy 🤓

* $70,000 minimum salary — The boss of a card payments company in Seattle introduced a $70,000 minimum salary for his staff, and the gamble has paid off

* Climate crisis — Where does each Democratic candidate stand on the climate crisis?

* Super Tuesday — The 14 states’ economies can be split into four types

Francesca 👇

The ‘Trump Effect’ on Comedy

Francesca began as a journalist and editor for multiple outlets before taking up stand up comedy in 2011, thus beginning her hilarious intertwined brand of comedy and journalism. She’s the latest up-and-comer of a trend made most famous by the legendary Jon Stewart, whose The Daily Show blurred the line between comedy and journalism so much that, at some points over the past decade, was the source of honest news in America. Stewart’s meteoric rise to fame shadowed the changing media landscape that allowed his epic rants and satirical takedowns of Fox News to go viral across the interwebs.

Nowadays we have the likes of Michelle Wolf, Jon Oliver and Trevor Noah carrying the torch and blurring the line even further. And that’s where Francesca comes in, who managed to convince Al Jazeera to give her a shot with Newsbroke, and boy did it work out. MSNBC soon came calling with Red, White and Who?, which landed her across the table in a diner with Bernie Sanders.

State of Cable News

For all our complaints about cable news, and don’t worry, there’s plenty in the next section, the Big Three cable news outlets are doing just fine. In fact, CNN, MSNBC and Fox News are doing more than fine: In 2018, they recorded a combined $5.3 billion in revenue, by far the most they’ve ever generated and a 36 percent increase since 2015. Much of that spike was due to the ‘Donald Trump Effect’, which has sparked a renewed ratings war between the networks. But while millions of people are still glued to their TV screens, the rise of alternative media on both sides of the political spectrum has fragmented the market even further. The term “24/7 news cycle” feels weirdly archaic.

It’s because of the billions of dollars in the coffers that the cable networks must do better. Yes, they’ve 24 hours of programming to fill per day, and yes there’s nothing more in this world better than watching Wolf Blitzer stare dead-eyed into a camera on election night surrounded by 200 lobbyists and political operatives, but they have the resources to actually give us quality programs and not just excess garbage squeezed out from the sausage factory. Anthony Bourdain’s Parts Unknown was an incredible look at the world through food and people. And Lisa Ling’s This Is Life brilliantly shines a light on life and culture around the globe. But the rest of cable news has turned into an opinion-fuelled orgy (yes I coined that all by myself 😊) which only fractures the political spectrum even more. Give us more Lisa Ling. Give us more Anthony Bourdain (RIP).

Chris Matthews and Chuck Todd Show Their True Colors. It’s Brown.

Cable news is doing great financially, there’s no denying that. But the thing about elections and controversial presidents like Trump is that they come in cycles, literally. As we discussed above, ratings and revenues have soared because of Trump’s provocative rhetoric and general idiocy, but the ratings and profits will inevitably recede to the flat numbers from before Trump when he leaves the White House, whether that’s in 2021 or 2025. But what’s less prone to election cycles is people’s memory and anger toward corruption and conspiring against a frontrunner, which is where former journalists Chris Matthews and Chuck Todd enter the fray.

Mr. Todd will need to face reality at some point to figure out his confusion of how Bernie is the frontrunner in the Democratic primary race. But what will be even more damaging to MSNBC’s long-term reputation is the constant smears of progressive candidates and their supporters. If anyone from the progressive camp even thought about comparing a politician to the Nazis, the establishment would pile on with endless criticism. But when not one but TWO MSNBC anchors compared Bernie’s rise — who himself is Jewish and whose family were murdered by the Nazis — to the Nazis invading France, the shocking reality of how low some centrists will stoop to stop Bernie is disgusting. After Matthews’ hollow apology and an accusation of sexual harassment by GQ columnist Laura Bassett, MSNBC pulled Matthews from its coverage of the South Carolina primary on Saturday. But the damage has been done. Thank the lord for Anand Giridharadas, because until MSNBC overhauls its roster of lobbyists, its reputation will remain stained.

Can We Stop Climate Change and Keep Capitalism?

Francesca has traveled to all parts of America over the past few years for various reporting and joke making. I asked her what issue has been underreported in the media, and her response was climate change, still. Lots of reasons can explain why, despite institutions including the UN declaring a climate emergency, the climate crisis is still not taken seriously enough. Perhaps the most telling reason is that most people don’t feel they’re affected by climate change (they are) and hence the likes of healthcare and the economy (still important) continue to dominate headlines. But that’s what many outlets are missing: Climate change is making healthcare more expensive and costing the economy billions of dollars each year.

Which brings us onto our next topic: Is capitalism responsible for the climate emergency? The answer is yes, or no, depending on who you ask, but neither answer is as simple as a single syllable. It’s certainly no coincidence that the rise in the world’s emissions coincides with the explosion of globalisation that’s sent our obsession with economic growth through the roof. We’ve all played a part in fuelling capitalism, with or without knowing the implications on the environment. That’s undeniable. But where the argument becomes more nuanced, is how to escape the mess… I don’t have the answer to that, sorry.

Thanks for reading this week. To sign us off, enjoy a funny 10 minutes from today’s amazing guest…

Related Podcasts

#62 — Krystal Ball (The Hill) on the mainstream media’s denial of Bernie Sanders and progressivism

#50 — Hadas Gold (CNN) on the war against journalism in the age of Trump

#47 — Ryan Grim (The Intercept) on the history of progressivism and the Democratic establishment

Last Week…

#65 — Andrew Flowers (Journalist —> Politician) on the transition from data journalist to running for office

… Next Week

🤷‍♂️

This is a public episode. If you’d like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit insidethenewsroom.substack.com/subscribe