Vibe Check It’s Still Cerulean, B!tch
5 snips
Sep 3, 2025 The hosts dive into the world of influencers getting paid for political messaging, questioning the ethics behind it. They tackle a controversial job listing that sparked outrage, highlighting systemic labor issues in media. The discussion also reflects on evolving journalism, revealing struggles faced by newcomers in the industry. To lighten the mood, they share recommendations like Blood Orange's 'Essex Honey' and insightful works from Elizabeth Gilbert, connecting personal narratives with broader societal themes.
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Newsrooms Shrunk; Creators Fill The Void
- The media landscape has shrunk dramatically, forcing creators and influencers to fill gaps once held by newsrooms.
- This shift blurs lines between editorial and business and changes how journalistic work is funded and judged.
Context Matters For Political Payments
- Influencers getting paid to push political messaging isn't new but context matters for assessing harm.
- Framing these payments as "dark money" may overstate intent and ignores scale differences with other political funding.
Separate Money From Editorial Work
- Be transparent and keep editorial separate from funding sources to preserve trust.
- Build editorial oversight and adult-in-the-room protections when creators take on business deals.
