Press Club Mediaite

Mediaite editor Aidan McLaughlin speaks with veteran foreign correspondent Arwa Damon about her recent mission inside Gaza. Damon started her career covering the Iraq War. She joined CNN, where she served as senior international correspondent and reported on war zones in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Libya and elsewhere. She won a Peabody Award and three Emmys, including one for her coverage of the Battle of Mosul in Iraq, where she came under fire from ISIS militants.

On Press Club, he describes what life is like inside Gaza right now after 7 months of bombing, why this war has been so dangerous for journalists, and why the suffering in Gaza is different than any other war she's covered.

This episode was produced by Brandon Reschke.

Mediaite editor Aidan McLaughlin speaks with New York magazine Washington correspondent Olivia Nuzzi, who takes us inside Donald Trump's hush money trial, which she's been covering in Manhattan's criminal court for the last few weeks as a jury was selected, opening arguments were presented, witnesses testified, and the former president was gagged. This week, Trump was fined for violating his gag order, and threatened by the judge with jail time. Nuzzi discusses those developments, what it's like watching Trump in court, and what the case means for the 2024 campaign. She also talks about the state of the media industry today and an eventful WHCD weekend.

This episode was produced by Brandon Reschke.

Mediaite editor Aidan McLaughlin speaks with CNN anchor Jim Acosta. They discuss his new show, his time as a White House correspondent under Trump, facing death threats, covering Trump's new election campaign, what he fears most about a second Trump term, Biden's handling of Israel, CNN's new boss and the uncertain future of cable news.

This episode was produced by Brandon Reschke.

Mediaite editor Aidan McLaughlin speaks with veteran tech journalist Kara Swisher. They discuss her career as a reporter covering the rise of Silicon Valley and then as a media entrepreneur, the future of the media industry, how to start a media company in today’s climate, whether cable news can survive in a post-linear world, her relationship with titans from Rupert Murdoch to Elon Musk, and her new book, “Burn Book: A Tech Love Story.”

Swisher is the host of On With Kara Swisher, the Pivot Podcast with Scott Galloway, a contributing editor to New York Magazine and a CNN contributor.

This episode was produced by Brandon Reschke.

Mediaite editor Aidan McLaughlin speaks with Don Lemon, the former CNN host who just launched his new independent venture, The Don Lemon Show, with a dramatic splash. The first episode of his show featured a lengthy interview with billionaire Elon Musk — who was so upset by the tough questions he abruptly canceled his multi-million dollar deal with Lemon to host the show on his social media platform X, formerly Twitter.

Lemon discusses how the deal came to be and how it fell apart, what he thinks of the interview now that it's aired, what's next for his show, returning to CNN months after he was ousted from the network, and the future of the media business.

This episode was produced by Brandon Reschke.

Mediaite editor Aidan McLaughlin speaks with Mehdi Hasan, the former MSNBC host who just announced the launch of a new digital media company, Zeteo. Hasan left MSNBC after the network canceled his show in the wake of Oct. 7 and Israel's war in Gaza. The cancelation sparked an outcry, and Hasan capitalized on that outrage to leave the network and launch his new outlet, one he promises will speak more truthfully about issues like war and U.S. politics than the traditional media. McLaughlin and Hasan discuss why he left MSNBC, how to start a digital media outlet during the digital media apocalypse, how the press is covering the Israel-Hamas war, Biden's performance as president, and Trump's resilience among the electorate.

This episode was produced by Brandon Reschke.