Federalist Radio Hour
Episode: "America Is Due For A Real Reporting Revival"
Date: January 27, 2026
Host: Matt Kittle
Guest: Ryan Wolf, Director, Fund for American Studies’ Center for Excellence in Journalism

Episode Overview

This episode centers on the challenges and opportunities in modern American journalism, the decline of legacy reporting models, the rise of “independent” and influencer journalism, and what’s being done to revive credible reporting. Matt Kittle and guest Ryan Wolf delve into the current media landscape, the shortcomings of journalism education, the importance of investigative shoe-leather reporting, and the Fund for American Studies' fellowships designed to create the next generation of ethical, fact-driven journalists.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Decline of Traditional Journalism & Local News

[01:12–05:55]

• Collapse of the Local-to-National Path: Wolf details how journalism careers traditionally began at small-town newspapers and progressed to regional and national outlets—a system now in shambles due to the collapse of local/regional news organizations.

  • “That time is gone. We don’t really have local newspapers...The Pittsburgh Post is going to close...This system of how people got into media really started to change in the 2010s.” (Ryan Wolf, 01:51)

• Digital Clickbait & The End of Journalism’s “Second Era”: The replacement of legacy pathways with click-driven digital outlets shaped modern media ("Facebook clickbait articles"), but reliance on this model is waning.

  • “So we’re in this new phase where people are trying to figure out, how do you make money in the media?” (Ryan Wolf, 04:09)

• Shifting Media Business Models: Wolf points out how even major outlets like the New York Times aren’t immune from economic and audience pressures, shifting parts of their model to things like games and recipes to sustain revenue.

  • “They found new audiences who want to pay for other products they have...incentives driving the New York Times just look a little different.” (Ryan Wolf, 08:05)

2. Reaching Young Journalists & The Journalism Excellence Fellowship

[05:55–10:14]

• Diversifying Opinion & Voices: The Fund’s new fellowships at the Washington Post and Boston Globe aim to inject new perspectives and worldviews, especially for young journalists.

  • “We’re launching these new journalism excellence fellowships...The goal is to get these different ideas and voices out to talk to new audiences.” (Ryan Wolf, 05:32)

• Concerns Over Activist Journalism: Kittle expresses dismay at activism masquerading as reporting, particularly by young journalists “from elite schools” behaving as clickbait writers rather than community informers.

3. The Ethics Crisis: Activist and “Independent” Journalism

[10:14–16:48]

• Critiquing Don Lemon’s Actions: Discussion around Don Lemon’s live coverage of protests invading church services. Wolf highlights ethical and legal lines Lemon appears to cross.

  • “Don Lemon doesn’t understand the First Amendment very well and sort of the difference between public and private spaces and a protest and a sort of disruption of other people’s rights...” (Ryan Wolf, 14:02)
  • [12:47–13:46]: Clip showing Lemon’s confrontation with churchgoers, illustrating blurred lines between journalism and activism.

• Independent Journalism’s Pitfalls: Wolf raises doubts about the claim of independence when reporters embed with activist groups, drawing parallels to the controversy of journalists present during major global events.

  • “If you’re embedding with a protest group, it doesn’t seem particularly independent to me...All independent journalists actually need to learn and inform themselves of what journalistic ethics look like.” (Ryan Wolf, 15:18)

4. Reporting vs. Activism: Real-World Examples

[16:48–23:26]

• Validating Stories with Evidence: Kittle stresses the importance of documentation and multi-source verification, echoing Federalist CEO Sean Davis.

  • “The sources, good. All fine and good, but give me the documentation.” (Matt Kittle, 21:42)

• Shoe Leather Reporting and Nick Shirley Example: Wolf applauds Nick Shirley’s on-the-ground investigative approach in exposing Minnesota fraud—contrasting “influencers” with actual reporting efforts.

  • “I love that he went out and actually dug in and investigated, you know, these areas...someone who’s just going out and asking questions and tracking down leads, that’s what journalism is all about.” (Ryan Wolf, 19:51)

5. Trust, Institutions, and the Rise of Influencer Journalism

[23:26–33:10]

• Decline in Trust: All American institutions, but especially media, have suffered drastic declines in public trust. A key reason: the loss of neutral norms and rise of social-media-fueled “influencer” culture.

  • “Trust in pretty much every American institution is quite low...a lot of it is these older norms falling away, this sort of social media influencer culture...” (Ryan Wolf, 23:26)

• Influencers vs. Journalists: The hosts debate whether influencer content is a natural evolution of “citizen journalism” or a new challenge.

  • “The problem with influencers is that they’re not reporters...they often don’t have the experience, the tools, the knowledge...” (Ryan Wolf, 27:19)
  • “The influencers are somewhat of an innovation on top of that, in the sense of now, you’re having a little more concentration in who disseminates information...” (Ryan Wolf, 30:38)

• Verification and Misinformation: The avalanche of unverified content, compounded by AI-generated misinformation, is making fact-checking more vital and difficult.

6. The Impact of AI on Journalism

[33:10–38:45]

• Optimist vs. Pessimist Views: Wolf discusses whether AI will enhance or destroy quality journalism.

  • “There’s sort of an optimist and a pessimist view...the AI slop thing is going to basically drive people off of social media, and I’m a little bit more in that camp.” (Ryan Wolf, 34:37)

• Enduring Value of Real Reporting: Human stories, sourced by actual reporters, remain irreplaceable. Aggregators face extinction, but “shoe leather” journalists will always be needed.

  • “You still need to get new information and news stories from human beings and reporters are going to be the ones who are going to do it.” (Ryan Wolf, 36:45)

7. Journalism Education—Broken and Outdated?

[38:45–42:33]

• Critique of J-Schools: Wolf is blunt about the shortcomings of journalism schools, which he says combine “everything you don’t like about academia with all the things you don’t like about media.”

  • “Journalism schools are pretty bad. They’re sort of the worst ... we tend not to work very much with journalism schools...” (Ryan Wolf, 40:09)

• On-the-Job Training as the Best Path: Both host and guest advocate for learning journalism through experience, not just formal education.

  • “Doing the job is the best way to learn...students writing for campus publications, interning, doing fellowships – that’s the best way to learn.” (Ryan Wolf, 40:59)
  • “Reading the great books and having a basic understanding of economics...that’s way more essential to being a good writer and being a good journalist.” (Ryan Wolf, 41:50)

8. The Fund for American Studies’ Programs: Building the Next Generation

[42:33–44:28]

• From Campus to Career: Wolf outlines a “farm system” of training—sponsoring campus publications, internships, fellowships (including the Wall Street Journal and Novak fellowships), and ongoing career development for emerging journalists.

  • “Starting from freshman year on campus to, you know, seven years into someone’s professional career, we’re there to help them be successful.” (Ryan Wolf, 44:28)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “I have gone beyond disappointed. I’m sick to my stomach. And a lot of the stuff that I’m seeing out there in journalism today.”
  — Matt Kittle, [01:24]

• “Sometimes the news sides can be more ideological or ideologically driven than opinion pages.”
  — Ryan Wolf, [08:45]

• “Independent journalism first—I always question what being independent means. If you’re embedding with a protest group, it doesn’t seem particularly independent to me.”
  — Ryan Wolf, [14:02]

• “Doing the job is the best way to learn, right? ... Journalism is an old trade and really the apprenticeship model still works really well.”
  — Ryan Wolf, [40:59]

• “If you’re someone who’s doing the shoe leather reporting and talking to people and has sources and is breaking new news, then I think you’ll always have a job.”
  — Ryan Wolf, [36:45]

Important Segment Timestamps

• 01:12 — The collapse of the legacy journalism career ladder
• 05:32 — Launch of new Journalism Excellence Fellowships
• 10:14 — Criticism of activist journalism and Don Lemon’s church protest coverage
• 19:51 — Example of Nick Shirley’s Minnesota fraud investigation
• 23:26 — Institutional decline in trust and rise of influencer journalism
• 34:37 — Potential (and pitfalls) of AI in journalism
• 40:09 — Scathing critique of journalism schools
• 42:33 — Details on Fund for American Studies’ full suite of journalism programs

Tone & Takeaway

Kittle and Wolf’s discussion is candid, critical, and solution-focused—laced with humor, anecdotes, and pointed skepticism about both the media establishment and the new influencer-driven landscape. Both call for a return to classic, document-driven investigative reporting, greater diversity of voices, and training grounded in real-world experience—not academic theory.

Final Message:
Reviving American journalism depends on practical, ethical training; skepticism toward activist and “independent” journalism that lacks rigor; and a relentless pursuit of truth—there’s hope if new systems can nurture these skills and values.