Jake Tapper is somewhat of an anomaly in modern American journalism.
Revered by conservatives and liberals, the 45-year old CNN host is one of only a few national newscasters who have managed to earn the respect of Americans from across the political spectrum in today’s hyper-partisan political climate. His popularity with conservatives, who are often skeptical of the mainstream media and so-called “unbiased” journalists, is particularly striking.
“I think conservatives just think I’m fair,” Tapper told me in a recent interview. “I think they think, ‘he’s willing to do stories that others are not willing to do, he’s willing to consider points of view that others are not willing to consider.’ ”
That ethos is evident in the structure of Tapper’s show, “The Lead,” which is celebrating the anniversary of its first year on the air this week. In addition to segments on trending political, national, world, money, sports and pop news, Tapper’s show often features a segment called the “Buried Lead,” which highlights news stories viewers are unlikely to hear about anywhere else. His willingness to deviate from rehashing tired news stories and his ability to stay above the political fray has given his parent network a much-needed bump in ratings in the 4 p.m. time slot.
“We’re constantly changing the line-up and trying to figure out, ‘What’s the best way?’ ‘What’s the best mix?’ ‘What’s the best way to lay out the show?’ ‘What do people care about the most right now?’ Tapper said of his show’s unconventional format.
So popular is Tapper among viewers, CNN is already considering moving him to primetime. The network is currently trying out Tapper, among others, in the coveted 9 p.m. timeslot opposite MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow and Fox News’ Megyn Kelly. (The 9 p.m. slot on CNN previously belonged to “Piers Morgan Live.” CNN announced it was canceling the show last month after it became abundantly clear the show could no longer attract the viewership needed to claim victory against its competitors.)
And Tapper is a serious contender for the primetime slot. Mediaite, a news site that reports on and ranks media professionals, lists Tapper as the third most powerful TV reporter in America. When “The Lead” launched on CNN a year ago, network President Jeff Zucker lauded Tapper as the “face of the new CNN.”
“This is the start of an incredible new era,” Zucker said of the occasion.
Tapper’s rise is just as telling of the direction CNN is heading as it is of the journalism industry. The media star never attended journalism school, instead freelancing his way into a full-time job at the Washington City Paper during his mid-twenties, which gave him the experience necessary to nab a position at the left-wing online publication Salon, where he worked as a news reporter for three years.
“It didn’t occur to me to be a journalist when I was 21, 22, even though I was a voracious consumer of news,” Tapper told me. “I wanted to be a cartoonist and then I wanted to be a filmmaker, but ultimately I was much better at telling true stories than fictitious ones.”
While at Salon, Tapper landed a role in 2001 as one of five panelists on a CNN show called “Take Five” that aired on Saturday nights and featured young up-and-coming journalists. Other panelists included now-White House Press Secretary Jay Carney and CBS News’ John Dickerson. (Think MSNBC’s “The Cycle” but at a much less desirable time.) The show was short-lived, lasting only six months, as the post 9/11 media landscape shifted to more serious journalism.
“Nobody wanted to hear five young people talking about whatever came off the top of their heads. It was just the wrong era for it,” Tapper recalled.
The show did not last, but Tapper’s interest in the world of broadcast journalism did. Shortly after “Take Five” got the ax, Tapper joined VH1 for six months to work on a ‘60 Minutes-esque’ program about pop culture and music. This too ultimately got the boot, so the 33 year old hired an agent, who eventually got him a job at ABC News. Tapper worked at ABC for nearly a decade before returning to CNN in late 2012.
At ABC, Tapper appeared on and reported for a wide variety of shows, including “Good Morning America,” before becoming Senior White House Correspondent, where he regularly squared off in the press briefing room against his old TV pal Jay Carney. Tapper recalls struggling to attract the attention of the network’s primetime shows during his early tenure there.
“It took years, and I still remember the sleepless nights. ‘How come I can’t get on World News?’” he said he would think to himself. “But eventually they put me on. Especially a lot of young people may spend a lot of time in a position like that and may feel like giving up, but sticking around paid off.”
In 2010 he began filling in as the interim host for the network’s long-running Sunday morning news program, “This Week,” after host George Stephanopoulos briefly left the show to work solely at GMA. Tapper was heir apparent to host the show after Stephanopoulos’ departure, yet he was bizarrely passed over in favor of Christiane Amanpour. Amanpour’s time as “This Week” host fizzled out quickly, and ABC convinced the show’s former host, Stephanopoulos, to return, leaving Tapper by the wayside once again.
“You can’t take every rejection personally and it just might be you’re not right for this, but tomorrow you might be right for this and we’ll send you to Los Angeles for a month and put you on TV everyday,” Tapper said, generally speaking about his journalism career, during our interview.
These days, the man seems to have it all, however. Not only is he an Emmy Award winner and the host of a successful television show, he may very well be CNN’s next primetime host. On top of that, his latest book, “The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor,” is being adapted to a film. Factor in his beautiful wife, two kids and 325,000 twitter followers, and Tapper is living the dream.
It wasn’t easy – a fact that undeniably remains with the rising star. For young journalists trying to find their way, Tapper says they will persevere in the long run if they are truly confident in their talent.
“It very rarely happens that somebody succeeds in a field, and it’s just a straight line up. I mean, it’s not,” he said. “It takes a lot of persistence and it takes a lot of toughness.”
