A Patriot, a man of faith and deep conviction, Newsmax Host Tom Basile takes his job extraordinarily seriously. He meticulously fact checks his entire show before making it to air because he feels the news is a service to all Americans (even if you don’t align politically with him).
“There’s a responsibility that comes with having this platform, and you have to take that responsibility very seriously because it is about serving the country,” Basile told Barrett Media over a Zoom call. “I mean you can do a lot of good in front of that camera. You can do a lot of evil in front of that camera as well. We all have that choice.”
From the time he was a child Basile knew he wanted to “bring the news and to bring issues to people and to foster the conversation.” Noting of his childhood, “Most boys played firemen. I played Walter Cronkite.” His path to the anchor chair was not direct. As a young man he served in the George W. Bush Administration. “I went over to Iraq [with the administration]. Then I helped run the inauguration in 2005. I went over to Southeast Asia after the tsunami, and I came home, and I was exhausted.”
Longing to come back home to New York, the host of “America Right Now” left the “D.C. bubble,” to run Republican George Pataki’s campaign against then-Senator Hillary Clinton. Afterwards, he wrote his first book, ‘Tough Sell: Fighting the Media War in Iraq.’ He started penning op-ed’s and “doing some radio, but as an analyst.”
He then became a regular on the Fox News Strategy Room, which exclusively aired on foxnews.com. He was also picked up by SiriusXM as a fill-in anchor on the Patriot Channel. He additionally wrote for Forbes and The Blaze as an opinion contributor.
“Then I took a bit of a break from some of that to be the executive director of the state Republican Party in New York. So, all along, whether it was my experience in 2000 on the campaign, in the administration, in state government, at the Republican National Committee and then ultimately as a party leader. I had built up sort of a body of experience in government, media, politics and business.”
In 2018, the now Washington Times opinion columnist lost his senate race and began “soul searching” when God opened a door for him. “You have to understand that after I lost the election, I wasn’t sure which direction I was going to go. I was rebuilding my business, but I wasn’t sure how I was going to scratch the itch to serve the country. I didn’t know what that was going to look like. So, the idea that here I am, in my mid-forties at the time, and I have an opportunity to then reinvent myself in this way was pretty traumatic. It was a pretty big deal.”
Before this moment Basile never considered making TV a career but he noted “God works in mysterious ways… I decided I’m going to make a play for television, and I was given the opportunity to host a show as a test case because Elliot Jacobson and Chris Ruddy knew that I had hosted but I’d always done it in a radio context.” Today, Basile has one of the top weekend shows on the network.
One weekly segment his show offers that is close to his heart, ‘Faith in America.’ “It came about because I felt that it was necessary. It’s who I am, and I think that you need to be authentic. One of the problems that we have in government and in politics is just you have all of these people who are just there. They have some shtick that they’re playing for the camera.”
The Third Degree Knight of Columbus and member of the order of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem has never been shy about his faith. Most notably he was knighted by Pope Benedict XVI. He feels in order to serve his viewers well he needs to be authentic saying, “Faith is authentically very much a part of who I am. I also know enough about America and enough about history to understand that it is very much about who and what America is.”
Another feature of Basile’s show which likely adds to his success, is he doesn’t talk in soundbites. “The other thing that we’re missing is deeper conversation. We talk to each other in soundbites rather than take the time to hear about people and the issues.”
He believes parts of the media, like podcasting, will evolve into longer formats. “Millions of Americans are saying they are ready for something more than a 4-minute interview in which the guests say virtually nothing. All journalists should strive to have deeper conversations which create deeper connections with the audience.”
For those looking for a career in politics or the media, Basile’s advice is to remember both are a service to the country. “Respect the fact that if you are given the opportunity to serve and take it seriously, recognize that you have power and influence which comes with responsibility. That comes with the responsibility of being intellectually honest.”
Basile believes truth and honesty are key because, “Information is so critical to uphold a free society and when people don’t trust the information because they don’t trust the messengers, you start to see a breakdown between the institutions and the systems that hold the Republic together.”
On a personal note, as his former producer, I have seen firsthand the hard work and dedication Tom puts into every show. Working with him, there is a lot of faith, joy, and laughter. When you are struggling, he will pray with you. He is always open and willing to try new creative things (no matter how crazy it may seem) and knows exactly when to throw a good punch line. Those of us who have been lucky enough to work closely with him know exactly why his Executive Producer has given him the nickname ‘America’s Bestie.’
Krystina Alarcon Carroll is a news media columnist and features writer for Barrett Media. She has experience in almost every facet of the industry including: digital and print news; live, streamed, and syndicated TV; documentary and film productions. Her prior employers have included NY1 and Fox News Digital and the Law & Crime Network. You can find Krystina on X (formerly twitter) @KrystinaAlaCarr.
