Independent Journalism in a Fragmented Media System, with Jacob Ward
Social Media and Politics

Independent Journalism in a Fragmented Media System, with Jacob Ward

B2Upper-intermediateJanuary 18, 202641 min

Jacob Ward, accomplished journalist and host of The Rip Current, joins the podcast to discuss independent journalism in today’s fragmented media environment. We begin with a conversation about whether the “news cycle” still makes sense, before turning to how platforms like YouTube and TikTok enable journalists to build direct relationships with audiences. Jacob reflects on sourcing, livestreaming, journalistic ethics, and the differences between working as an independent journalist versus reporting within major news organizations.

Play episode

Opens the player: the full transcript, every word clickable, with translation and flashcards.

Try it: tap any word

Real sentences from the start of this episode. Every word is marked with its level.

Sentence 1 of 12 · 0:00

, . ,

insights into how social media is changing the political game. I'm your host, Michael

Hear this sentence

Tap a word to see its meaning in your language.

Do you know these words?

8 harder words from this episode. Tap one to see what it means, then mark it.

  • C13:40
  • C17:40
  • B212:06
  • B216:20
  • B223:26
  • B226:13
  • B235:05
  • C136:35

Mark a few words and we'll tell you how this episode fits your level.

Is this episode right for you?

B2

B2 · Upper-intermediate

Comfortable if you already follow TV news

A1 21%A2 26%B1 22%B2 23%C1 7%
  • 70% of the words are B1 or easier.
  • 189 words a minute: natural, fairly fast speech.
  • 187 harder words (B2 and up) in the whole episode.

Transcript

The opening of the episode. The whole transcript is in the player.

0:00

Hey, everybody. Welcome to the Social Media and Politics podcast, bringing new expert insights into how social media is changing the political game. I'm your host, Michael Bocetta, associate professor of communication at Lund University. Remember, you can follow the show on X at SMNP podcast or visit us on the web at social media and politics.org.

0:29

All right, y'all. Thanks so much for tuning in. In this episode, we're going to be focused on journalism and how news reporting is interacting with some of the changes that we're seeing in the social media landscape. And my guest to discuss this is Jacob Ward. He is a reporter in residence at the Omidyar network and has worked at some of the world's largest news

0:56

organizations from Al Jazeera, PBS, NBC News, and CNN. But what's interesting about Jacob is he's also been very successful sort of cultivating his own audience on TikTok where videos get millions of views. He's also got a sub-stack and a podcast called The Rip Current where he talks about issues

That was the opening. The rest of the episode (40 min) is in the player: every word clickable, with translation, saved words and flashcards.

Continue in the player

Automatically generated from the audio. May contain errors. Audio belongs to its publisher and is played from their feed. Rights holders can request removal — copyright & takedown policy