In the outdated days — that’s, up till a few years in the past — touchdown a job at a really massive outlet like NCS or The New York Times could be the capstone to a journalist’s profession. If you moved on, it was possible in opposition to your will and virtually undoubtedly a step down.
Now issues are totally different: A slew of huge names, from Don Lemon to Paul Krugman, have left massive media firms, for various causes — and appear to be making a go of it on their very own. They publish their very own posts on platforms like Substack, and push out their very own video on YouTube.
In a handful of instances, like former Vox columnist Matthew Yglesias, they’re making far more than they did on the outdated gigs. Others say they’re doing nicely sufficient to at the very least equal their outdated salaries.
For now, that group consists of Oliver Darcy, the previous NCS media reporter (and former Business Insider politics editor) who left the community in 2024 — as a result of, in his telling, the corporate did not need to give him extra assets. Now, Darcy’s Status publication is a must-read in media circles, and Darcy says his two-man operation — he employed his former coworker Jon Passantino earlier this yr — is worthwhile after its first 12 months.
I talked to Darcy about his strategy to media protection — and his criticism of the way in which media retailers are protecting this iteration of Donald Trump — for my Channels podcast. But I wished to move alongside this edited excerpt concerning the indie media motion we’re in, and Darcy’s (present) embrace of his new scenario.
Peter Kafka: What would occur if NCS got here to you and stated they’d prefer to have you ever again? Is there a world the place that is sensible for you?
Oliver Darcy: No, probably not. I graduated NCS.
I’m very a lot having fun with not having to cope with a number of pink tape and paperwork.
Is there any enchantment to any massive firm coming to you and providing you funding and assets, to be a part of their community?
I do not suppose it could be sensible to thoroughly rule out something. I feel it’d actually should be a superb associate that’s not going to aim to water down our protection or intervene with the editorial, and could be solely targeted on giving us extra assets.
But in the mean time, we’re very worthwhile. We’re trying to increase on our personal.
You haven’t any exterior buyers?
No exterior buyers. We’ve had curiosity from buyers and I’ve instructed everybody no. Because we do not actually need their cash and it’d complicate issues.
This is the present factor in newsrooms and media organizations: “How do we get these influencers to work with us? How do we get these voices to work with us?”
The problem for them is that the profitable ones do not actually need to return over there. Or in the event that they do come, it is at an infinite value, like what ESPN is doing with Pat McAfee.
I feel the reply is — do not allow them to go away.
In a number of instances, individuals need to keep, and so they need to work out a deal inside these firms. But they get chased out or there isn’t any curiosity — after which they go construct one thing, and now hastily there’s curiosity.
This is each relationship ever. “When you were with me, I didn’t appreciate you.”
Now that we have constructed Status into an organization that is capable of function independently and do nicely, [we] do not actually need that cash or that infrastructure anymore. We constructed our personal infrastructure.
What if David Ellison listens to this podcast and says, “I was going to buy Bari Weiss [and her Free Press startup], however really you’ve got satisfied me. You ought to deliver Status to CBS and you’ll be our CBS News advisor.”
I do not suppose that is taking place anytime quickly.