Six months ago, few might have believed that Vladimir Putin would invade Ukraine, uniting US Democrats and Republicans, as well as most of the world against him, California would lift mask mandates, and that CNN would undergo a regime change and pivot from heavy opinion to unbiased news reporting.

Suddenly we are in a different world, and for those of us seeking signs of hope that our polarized nation will not be undone by our differences, we have some recent signs of encouragement. Following last night’s State of the Union address where Biden presented his four-point, unity agenda, this week’s episode of The Media Roundtable offer’s a fifth point for Biden’s Plan: Mosheh Oinounou.

Mosheh Oinounou. Oinounou is an Emmy-winning journalist with 20 years of experience as a reporter and executive producer at CBS, Fox News, Bloomberg TV, Conde Nast Entertainment, and CNBC.  In that time, he’s produced interviews with dozens of world leaders including five American presidents. (He also consulted with us in launching our Media Roundtable Initiative).

Seeing the problem that news consumers face with too many sources competing for our attention and too little trust, Mosheh is now part of a new movement of independent journalists who are moving away from sensationalism and toward objectivity and mindful curation. His new venture, Mo News, which includes his Newsletter, Instagram feed, and weekly Q&A, Mondays with Mosh, is proving that there is a market for even-handed, calm discussion around today’s leading news events.

“I’m trying to be a good news story in a bad news media environment, and luckily, the audience has responded well.”

-Mosheh Oinounou

Oinounou is that incredibly rare thing–a voice of reason. To listen to him is to feel calmer and more informed. After seeing how the incentive structure of the media landscape rewards the most opinionated and click-baity news coverage, Oinounou is trying, and succeeding with a different approach.

Oinounou is not playing by the old rules of building a talking head. Through his own curated and well-sourced news channel, Mo News, on Instagram where he shows tremendous respect for his nearly quarter-million-strong audience. He informs without panicking and provides much-needed context. He is a perfect example of a new type of news source that brands should be falling over each other to align with and sponsor.

Tune in to hear:

  • The 11 minute stat that meant death for fact-based news coverage
  • Why “I don’t know” is a powerful tool for building trust.

If you want to understand the future of the news–and maybe feel a little hopeful– you need to check out this week’s episode. Click below to tune in. 

Listen to the Interview

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