The Trump administration is shaking up the White House press corps in some truly interesting ways. One is the implementation of “influencer briefings,” during which White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt takes questions from nontraditional journalists and social media influencers.
In principle, this is a fantastic idea. Millions of people now get their news online, from YouTube to TikTok to Instagram, and engaging directly with creators in these spaces will help the Trump administration reach younger audiences and further break up the legacy media monopoly on White House access. In practice, however, these influencer briefings are turning into sycophantic chat sessions that discredit the idea of “new media” as a serious form of independent journalism.
