Donald Trump did nothing wrong: Podcasts furiously vie to control impeachment narrative – POLITICO

While all eyes turn Wednesday to live television broadcasts of officials testifying in the House impeachment inquiry, scores of podcast hosts will be competing for the publics ears with colorful and sometimes outlandish ways to illustrate the competing claims and efforts at political oneupsmanship. In some cases, they will be arguing for or against impeachment, vying for the attention of deeply partisan listeners.

Since late September, the unfolding story of President Donald Trump and his allies pressuring Ukraine to investigate the Bidens as the U.S. withheld military aid has sparked a podcast frenzy, with news organizations such as CNN, NBC News, Vox, and WNYC quickly rolling out shows to seize on the heightened interest.

The podcasts vary in style, substance, and frequency in catering to each outlets distinct audiences. News junkies might tune into CNNs The Daily DC: Impeachment Watch podcast, which, like the networks impeachment-themed newsletter, covers all the major twists and turns each day. For a broader view, theres Impeachment, Explained, a weekly show hosted by Vox editor-at-large Ezra Klein.

Kleins show, which is released on Saturdays, highlights the weeks biggest developments through conversations with reporters, while also addressing broader issues, such how a historian views the conservative media apparatus of the Trump era versus the Nixon years. The goal, Vox politics editor Laura McGann told POLITICO, is to explain both the fast-moving impeachment story and the slow-moving impeachment story.

The Vox audience is aware that this impeachment process is going on and is curious about it, said McGann, who suggested what a hypothetical female reader, who isnt glued to Twitter all day, may be seeking.

Maybe she downloads Ezras podcast to get caught up on the week and listens to somebody smart put it in context for her, McGann said. Shes a smart engaged person, but shes not living on the internet day in and day out.

No one working outside of the media, said Brown, is actually going to take the time to sit and watch 10 hours of testimony, multiple days, and so theyre depending on us to break it down and tell the meaning.

For his part, Brown, whose BuzzFeed News show is produced in partnership with iHeartRadio, told POLITICO that his podcasts tone reflects BuzzFeeds audience, which is mostly young and wants something snappy, a little bit more irreverent and that sounds like the internet.

We wanted to convey both the seriousness of the nature of this time in history, he added, while also not making it so staid and prosaic and lecture-y that people just dont want to tune in and listen.

Added Brown: Theyre watching on YouTube or clips on Twitter and seeing bits and pieces for themselves and they need the context to know how it all fits together. In those ways, thats a service were providing both us as a podcast and media as a whole.

Brian Beutler, host of Crooked Medias new weekly show, Rubicon: The Impeachment of Donald Trump, said he aims to cover the latest news while keeping the stakes of the impeachment fight front and center.

The progressive audience turning to Crooked Media, which was launched by former Obama aides and is best known for its signature show, Pod Save America, likely supports impeaching Trump and isnt seeking the journalistic neutrality one might expect from a traditional news outlet.

Beutler said he feels able to convey the facts and the stakes of the impeachment clearly without feeling the need to balance them out or lend his platform to people who peddle disinformation or lie. For instance, Beutler said, he doesnt need to do a show considering whether Trump earnestly wanted to fight corruption in Ukraine in seeking an investigation of Hunter Biden, the former vice presidents son who did business in the country.

We know about Trump. We know that Trump doesnt care about corruption, Beutler said. We know why he did this. We know that theres no legitimate justification for it, and so we can just sort of dispense with all that.

Trump supporters are also making their voices heard, using the podcast format to frame impeachment for the presidents base.

This is a mortal threat to Trumps presidency, former Breitbart chief and ex-Trump adviser Steve Bannon recently told POLITICO ahead of the launch of War Room, a daily radio show and podcast co-hosted by former Trump communications adviser Jason Miller and former Breitbart London editor Raheem Kassam.

Bannon emphasized the need to present a counter-narrative to the Democrats arms for dirt argument on Sundays show, and stressed the urgency as millions are expected to tune in this week to public testimony.

There are going to be two thirds of the nation that has not followed this that does not read POLITICO, that does not go to The Hill, that doesnt even read Breitbart, doesnt know who Drudge is or care, Bannon said. Theyre now going to be brought into this story because its going to overwhelm newscasts. Its going to overwhelm the local news.

Our job is basically to line up in the I-formation. We are the William Refrigerator Perrys in this equation ... and President Trump is our Walter Payton, responded Miller, referring to the 1986 Super Bowl champion Chicago Bears. Our job is to go straight ahead, deliver a clear, easy-to-understand message: Donald Trump did nothing wrong.

"This is about policy differences between the unelected bureaucrats who have been trying to undermine President Trump since the 2016 election, said Miller, who characterized the House proceedings as a "sham."

Another Trump defender, personal lawyer Rudy Giuliani, is now considering launching his own impeachment podcast.

I am here for the competition, Brown said on Tuesdays show in extending an invite. Mr. Mayor, if you ever want to have a chat, we here are more than happy to have you.

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Donald Trump did nothing wrong: Podcasts furiously vie to control impeachment narrative - POLITICO