Conservatives and liberals both tend to distrust and dislike the news media. Both sides dig themselves into trenches and tend to only expose themselves to media which agrees with their view points. Today I'm going to take survey of Republican news figures/sources and talk about why their viewers trust them, and why other people don't.
1. Tomi Lahren
Trust
Tomi Lahren is young and she knows how to speak her mind. Her Facebook videos regularly draw in millions of views. When she has a problem with someone or something she attacks and doesn't flinch. She is intelligent and obviously knows how to amass an audience. The people that trust her like, retweet, and share all of her stuff.
Distrust
Tomi is no stranger to controversy, but recently a trove of her year old social media posts have surfaced from her college years. People have used this to point to a history of insensitivity, and even views contrary to those that she regularly expresses on her Facebook page. Then there was her appearance on The View, which won her a little support and lost her a moderate amount of her viewership. Currently embroiled in a legal battle with the blaze after a suspension we still have to see whether she'll be able to re-build her brand after.
2. Bill O'Reilly
Trust
Bill O'Reilly is THE conservative mainstream. For the last 20 years he has been front in center with his prime time while a myriad of other host have rotated in an out around him. His show format works. It's been copied endlessly. When O'Reilly met controversy his numbers just got even better.
Distrust
Just in case you haven't watched the news recently, Bill has a history of saying stupid things. These things range from racist, to sexist, to just all around confrontational. If you don't believe me look up the compilation videos online. In the last week he was ousted from Fox and its not yet clear whether he will find a news outlet to hire him or if he is going to become a full time author.
3. Tucker Carlson
Trust
Tucker Carlson presents a middle ground. Somewhere halfway in between. He is smart and uses this to be an asshole to the guests he brings on which can be pretty entertaining. Carlson has less of a bad rap than O'Reilly and is definitely new on the conservative news scene. He recently inherited O'Reilly's time slot but time will tell if he will be able to reach Lahren's level of brand recognition.
Distrust
Carlson's relatively low profile has made Carlson a moderate figure in the conservative news landscape. The reason people don't trust him usually has more to do with the channel he's on
4. Glenn Beck
Trust
Glenn Beck for all intensive purposes is the emotional predecessor to Tomi Lahren. He changed the way that conservative news shows are hosted. He didn't just present facts but he presented emotions in a theatrical manner. He became recognizable on TV and radio and created his own news content website 'The Blaze', which has taken over the timeline of conservative social media posters everywhere.
Distrust
Glenn Beck began to lose a lot of conservative support with his wild conspiracy theories and the theatrical nature of his shows. Everyone has seen the clips of him regularly breaking down in tears that seemed pretty disingenuous. Glenn Beck has even said himself that he took things a little too far.
These are the main conservative mainstays that I see come across my Facebook feed on a regular basis. If anyone else wants to weigh in on other conservative news figures feel free to comment and get a conversation started. Next week I'll be taking a look at some of the most well-known liberal news hosts.
