NewsNation recently shuffled its primetime lineup after the departure of Dan Abrams Live from the nightly offerings. That shift moved Elizabeth Vargas Reports to the 7 PM ET timeslot.
The move allows Vargas to slide later in the day — after previously hosting at 5 PM ET — and seek a larger audience by utilizing her star power.
And make no mistake about it, Vargas has star power. I can’t tell you how many women in the television industry I’ve spoken with that point to her as a pioneer, trailblazer, glass ceiling-breaker, or whatever other descriptor you’d like to use.
So, sure, Elizabeth Vargas is a trailblazer. But is she still on top of her game in a new timeslot at NewsNation? Let’s find out.
I tuned into Elizabeth Vargas Reports on Tuesday night. The first thing that stood out was Vargas.
TV news anchors are sort of like comfort food: you don’t want any curveballs. The expectation is familiarity, warmth, nostalgia, and a sentimental feeling. Those expectations are why people in the television landscape hold the “most trusted anchor in news” position in such high esteem. Because people aren’t especially rational in their love — or in some cases, hatred — of their favorite news media journalists.
Elizabeth Vargas does a wonderful job at balancing the hard-hitting journalist attitude with the warmth expected from a trusted news anchor. It was on display when she interview with the parents of an Israeli hostage who was confirmed dead after 422 days in captivity with Hamas.
It’s an insanely delicate subject. There are numerous factors at play, with plenty of pitfalls waiting for an interviewer to step into. But, in my opinion, Vargas never approached being insensitive or overtly political in a situation begging for a slip-up.
Sometimes, or oftentimes, being a great active listener is the key to being a great interviewer. And you saw that example from Vargas in this conversation. The NewsNation anchor asked great follow-up questions to the parents that she couldn’t have possibly prepared in advance of the conversation.
The pacing of the program was also noticeable. While roughly five minutes were spent with the parents of the Israeli hostage, times for other segments and topics were shorter. It never felts as if the program dragged or lacked forward momentum.
There was also a balance between domestic and international topics. For instance, a live hit with a reporter about a plans from the House Oversight Committee to investigate a wide variety of, frankly strange, topics was accompanied by former General Wesley Clark about what the United States gave up in an exchange to bring American teacher Marc Fogel home after being held in Russian captivity.
Perhaps most importantly, Elizabeth Vargas Reports does what it claims it does: it presents a non-biased presentation on the day’s news. NewsNation has continually balked at any claims that it is a partisan news network like Fox News, Newsmax, or MSNBC, and maintains that it is a fair, balanced, down-the-middle news organization.
And I think that’s highlighted when I watch the network. Do its primetime shows — now hosted by Leland Vittert, Chris Cuomo, and Ashleigh Banfield — lean one way or another? Sure. But there’s a difference between “lean” and “see-saw seat planted firmly on one side of the conversation.”
Elizabeth Vargas Reports doesn’t pretend to be a news show but is actually packaged as an opinion-based program. It presents the news of the day, with an attempt to feature the opinions of newsmakers, rather than attempt to make news. At a time when so many, both inside the news media industry but also news consumers, say they want unbiased news coverage, Elizabeth Vargas is doing that at NewsNation. Let’s hope those clamoring for this style of television newscast put their eyes where their mouths say they want to be.
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Garrett Searight is Barrett Media’s News Editor, which includes writing bi-weekly industry features and a weekly column. He has previously served as Program Director and Afternoon Co-Host on 93.1 The Fan in Lima, OH, and is the radio play-by-play voice of Northern Michigan University hockey. Reach out to him at Garrett@BarrettMedia.com.
