Podcast Summary: This is Gavin Newsom – "And, This Is How The Media Is Failing Us In 2026"

Host: Gavin Newsom
Guest: Alex Wagner
Date: January 9, 2026
Podcast: iHeartPodcasts
Episode Theme: A candid, often humorous deep-dive into the failures and evolution of American media in 2026, the shifting landscape of news, and its impacts on democracy and society. The discussion touches on institutional decay, disinformation, the rise of podcasting, political polarization, immigration, joy in politics, and the urgent need for human connection.

Episode Overview

In this frank and freewheeling conversation, California Governor Gavin Newsom invites journalist, podcaster, and author Alex Wagner to dissect why legacy and institutional media is struggling, what new models are emerging, and how the fundamental nature of news, politics, and public discourse is being reshaped in America as the nation approaches the 2026 elections. Throughout, both highlight their personal journeys and digress into everything from Joy in politics to immigration, parental advice, cold plunges, and the search for optimism in uncertain times.

Major Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Failing Structure of Legacy Media (10:00–16:00)

• Alex Wagner (paraphrased): Legacy media’s structure is driven by profit, ratings, and advertisers. With audiences aging out, it’s losing both relevance and rigor.
• Quote:
  • “The structure of the news is a profit making enterprise...once you're chasing the money, then the stories you cover are the ones that get the most eyeballs, not the most important stories.” (15:43 – Alex Wagner)
• Transition to subscription models as advertisers lose interest in older demographics, leading to desperation for audience attention (“anti slip bath mats” for seniors as main cable news ads).
• She laments the shift from a news-gathering, fact-checking culture (which required huge, rigorous teams at CBS/MSNBC), to a “leaner, meaner” podcasting world, which lacks deep infrastructure for original reporting.

2. Newsroom Dynamics and Editorial Independence (20:00–23:46)

• Newsom prods about Fox News-like top-down editorial control at MSNBC.
• Wagner refutes the parallel:
  • “Fox News peddles lies...At MSNBC, each show was its own fiefdom, you were under enormous pressure for ratings, but we had a lot of leeway.” (21:18-21:48)
• Pressure to chase ratings means “important stories” often get dropped if they fail to hold audience attention.
• Quote:
  • “Sometimes the stories that fail with an audience are actually really important stories to fucking tell.” (21:56 – Alex Wagner)

3. Media, Money, and the Erosion of Trust (15:30–19:59)

• There’s tension between the need for institutional rigor and the pressures of consolidation and profit.
• Wagner: “We're not really reporting anymore...Part of the reason Trump hit like a freight train in 2016 is because nobody was fucking out there [on the road].” (16:27)
• Desire for institutional trust, but also recognizing how media’s business priorities have contributed to public distrust.

4. Rise of Podcasting and New Information Ecosystems (25:15–30:00, 45:26–46:46)

• Wagner describes her transition from cable to podcasting (Crooked Media's "Runaway Country") and the freedom it brings (longform, authentic, cursing allowed).
• Podcasting as liberation: More authentic, longer-form, person-centered storytelling, and the ability to chase “the humanity in headlines.”
• However, concerns about rigor and scale: “Are podcasts going to have the same impact and standards for fact checking?” (46:34 – Alex Wagner)
• Glad to be a “housecat in the wild” but skeptical new podcast-driven landscape will solve misinformation (“We need some agreed upon pillars of truth.” – 46:46).

5. Institutional Independence & Political Pressure (11:06–14:27)

• Wagner criticizes CBS’s new leadership for “dog whistle” rhetoric attacking elites and academics, worrying this compromises journalistic rigor.
  • Quote:
    • “The idea that we've been listening to academics and elites is not what's poisoning our culture... what's poisoning our culture is that people aren't listening to people with scientific and nuanced understanding... we're just shooting from the hip.” (12:06-13:14 – Alex Wagner)
• Points to the spiking/delay of critical news stories at the behest of new executives, possibly due to political/White House pressure (the 60 Minutes immigration exposé).

6. Storytelling, Humanity & Breaking Through the Noise (25:59–31:39)

• Wagner’s podcast focuses on individual stories and lived experience to reconnect audiences with issues like immigration, healthcare, and national policy.
  • “You gotta start with a heart... the only way of making things tangible and resonant for people is to give you some kind of story of a person who is at the center of that headline.” (27:02 – Alex Wagner)
• Both hosts discuss the challenge of audience overload and “nihilism,” but insist there’s still a hunger for connection.

7. The MAGA Movement: Community & Dangerous Solidarity (32:32–38:01)

• Wagner and Newsom agree that the appeal and staying-power of MAGA is rooted in community, validation, and joy at the rallies—often at the expense of scapegoated groups.
  • “People are looking for communion, people are looking for community. And Trump gave them that.” (35:13 – Alex Wagner)
  • Newsom draws parallels with the decline of other voluntary institutions like churches and rotary clubs.
• Lesson for Democrats: Bring back joy and humor into politics; stop being so “humorless,” and take risks in communication.
  • “You can’t be everything to everyone. Part of humor is it’s designed to offend. Sometimes you have to accept that.” (39:28 – Alex Wagner)

8. Key Issues for 2026: Healthcare, Immigration, Climate (59:02–67:34)

• Healthcare: Wagner highlights skyrocketing premiums for millions as a “moral statement” of national priorities.
  • “What they are doing to...people is not just can you afford it...it's who can afford what and who deserves to live in this country.” (59:40 – Alex Wagner)
• Immigration: America is defined by immigrants—removing “all the brown ones is not going to leave us with much of a country.” (62:40)
• Climate: The biggest crisis, yet largely absent from mainstream coverage. Disconnect between daily hardship (utility bills, insurance) and policy debates.
  • “The first thing you have to do is reintroduce it into the conversation because it's gone.” (68:13 – Alex Wagner)

9. Alienation, Social Media, AI, & Loneliness (72:29–79:45)

• Both discuss how social and legacy media, AI, and digital life are driving alienation, envy, passivity, and loneliness, especially in youth.
• Wagner bluntly states:
  • “We’ve lost each other because of social media. Someone asked if I could get rid of the internet, would I? Fucking 100%. The internet, period. Gone.” (75:26 – Alex Wagner)
• Solution: Rebuild community through in-person connection, physical activity, and authenticity.
• (“We as human beings need to go out for cocktails, have more sex and do things with other human bodies.” – 1:16:19)

10. Optimism, Agency, and What Comes Next (81:32–88:22)

• Despite the bleakness, Wagner insists on active hope:
  • “We're so lucky to be alive when the stakes are so high and to have put ourselves in positions where we can actually try and change the map path.” (81:32)
• Politics is a gift—everyone has agency.
  • “You can go through it numb, or you can open yourself up to the elements and surrender to the times in which you were born and, like, fight like hell.” (82:23)
• Election predictions: cautious optimism about Democrats taking back the House. The need for a real, affirmative vision, not just opposition.

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

On the Problem With News Business Models

“The stories that get the most eyeballs are not the most important stories.” (15:43 – Alex Wagner)

On Loss of Institutional Rigor

“You can have a thriving podcast, but are they going to have the same standards for fact checking? It’s not the same thing.” (46:34 – Alex Wagner)

On the Energy of Trump’s Base

“There was so much joy...the sense of belonging and the genuine warmth...is highly intoxicating.” (36:49 – Alex Wagner)

On Joy in Politics

“Democrats need to bring joy back... you’re not going to be very fucking funny if you’re not offending someone.” (39:38 – Alex Wagner)

On Immigration

“America is immigrants... To be purging the country of all the brown ones is not going to leave us with much of a country.” (62:40 – Alex Wagner)

On Media and Technology’s Impact

“We’ve lost each other because of social media... If you could get rid of the internet, would you? Fucking 100%.” (75:26 – Alex Wagner)

On Hope and Agency

“You can go through it numb, or you can open yourself up to the elements and surrender to the times in which you were born and, like, fight like hell.” (82:23 – Alex Wagner)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 00:00–05:00: Introductions, light banter, cold plunges, and wellness routines.
• 10:00–16:00: The profit-driven structure of legacy/news media.
• 20:00–24:00: Pressures and editorial dynamics at MSNBC/MS Now vs. Fox News.
• 25:15–31:39: Podcasting as a new model for deep storytelling and breaking through political ‘noise’.
• 32:32–38:01: The emotional and communal dimension of the MAGA movement; lessons for Democrats.
• 59:02–67:34: Key issues for 2026 — healthcare, immigration, climate, economic cruelty.
• 72:29–79:45: Alienation, loneliness, digital fatigue, AI, and the search for real human connection.
• 81:32–88:22: Optimism, hope, sense of agency, and predictions for the coming year.

Tone & Style

• Conversational, candid, and irreverent—plenty of cursing, personal digressions, and humor.
• Both speakers unafraid to self-deprecate or break ‘journalistic’ codes, prioritizing honesty and connection.

Final Takeaways

• The media is in crisis, caught between collapsing old models and a chaotic new landscape with less rigor.
• Political solidarity and community are powerful, even when wielded for exclusion. Democrats must reclaim joy, humor, and clear vision.
• Podcasting offers hope for storytelling and engagement, but rigor and shared truth standards must be preserved.
• The big stories—healthcare, immigration, climate—remain under-covered and require re-centering on human impact.
• Despite the chaos, both Newsom and Wagner find reasons for optimism—reminding listeners that agency and connection are always possible, even in bleak times.

This summary skips advertisements, intros, and non-content sections, focusing on the substance, spirit, and memorable moments of the conversation. For those who haven’t listened, it captures both the critique and hope that define the episode.