Ahead of tonight’s South Carolina Senate debate, Barrett Media sat down with The Hill‘s Robby Soave about the coverage and this pivotal race.
“Lindsey Graham was such an iconic figure for the Republican Party [and] has been such a key ally of President Donald Trump,” Soave said. Noting how important Graham was to Trump’s foreign policy goals, Soave believes, “It will be very interesting to see who his successor is.”
“Obviously, there’s the potential that his successor is his sister, whom Trump supports, but voters get to decide that.” He added, “It will be really important to see what the other candidates have to say for themselves to make sure it’s not simply a coronation.”
Juggling Multiple Platforms
Soave is excited for his role: “I will be reacting to what [the candidates] say, learning from them, and then discussing and debating it on [my show] ‘Rising.'”
Rising is not the only show Soave hosts. He also works full-time at Reason Magazine, making their YouTube content, as well as hosting a show on 2Way. “I have no shortage of television shows and podcasts,” Soave joked.
While politics is his game, he strives to make each show different. “I try to say to myself, maybe there’s 16 people out there who are Robby Soave completionists who watch me all day, every day on all the platforms. I have to make sure I’m not making it boring for them by repeating myself, but the reality is there’s just so much news. There’s so much happening that it never feels stale.”
His wide range of guests also keeps the conversations different and exciting. “I’m constantly surprised, sometimes, by the things I hear from co-hosts, guests, and people I’m interviewing, and so the conversations go in really unexpected directions.”
From Writer to Broadcaster
With all the content Soave is putting out, he is aware of what all his viewers and subscribers expect. “They want personality along with their news and opinions. They want to know something about the people who are sharing their political impressions with them.”
For Soave, people initially got a taste of his personality through his incredible writing ability. “I always wanted to be a writer. I didn’t know I would necessarily get into journalism until college.”
Known for his work at the intersection of free speech, civil liberties, and culture, he has been published in countless notable outlets, including The New York Times, The Daily Beast, and U.S. News & World Report. He has also penned two books: “Panic Attack: Young Radicals in the Age of Trump” and “Tech Panic: Why We Shouldn’t Fear Facebook and the Future,” the latter of which has gotten significant praise from members of the Trump administration.
“What I’ve found is that over time people [have] ask me to come on their TV show and talk about politics, and you do enough of that, [and] you don’t screw it up. Eventually, you get the opportunity to post your own thing.” For the last five years, he’s been with The Hill hosting Rising.
The Case for Spirited Debate
He believes there is one “really great thing” about Rising that keeps viewers coming back: “It’s a left, right debate show, and we have guests, and we really represent all sides of the political spectrum, or at least try to have conversations with all sides of the political spectrum, and it’s a debate often and sometimes a very spirited debate.”
“My perspective is, if you’re having a conversation and you’re providing pushback, you can let people hear an extreme perspective and then let them hear from someone who disagrees with that extreme perspective about why it’s wrong.” Soave added, “I think it’s a difference between being, um, you know, just down the middle or being balanced, because a lot of Americans have strong or even extreme feelings about a range of issues.”
Advice for Aspiring Journalists
For those looking to follow in Soave’s footsteps, he suggests, “First learn something, specialize in something. Establish something you’re an expert on before you become a generalist.”
It is the exact same process he went through before being asked to weigh in on everything. He believes this base knowledge makes a huge difference. “I’m now asked to weigh in on all sorts of things, but I started mostly just covering free speech on college campuses and writing about it. And then I covered tech and social media regulation because I was interested in free speech. I think you should pick something to be interested in, learn more about it.”
Soave ended by saying, “Then you’ll find you have something to say about it, rather than sitting down and saying, ‘I’m going to be a general commentator.’ People will appreciate your opinions more.”
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Krystina Alarcon Carroll contributes features and columns 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.