White House press secretary Jen Psaki is decrying a trend in media and politics that she described as an echo chamber reinforcing the belief systems of only a portion of the public while rewarding punditry over substance.
“What’s also true is that we’re dealing with an incredibly fractured media environment and an incredibly fractured social media environment that promotes extremes, right?” Psaki said during an appearance on the podcast of former White House reporter Jessica Yellin. “And you know, I saw some statistic the other day about Twitter. I mean, I use Twitter. Every reporter uses Twitter. I don’t think we should deny it. We all use it. But we’re basically talking to ourselves, right, on Twitter, on cable, all of these things.”
Psaki cited recent studies showing the vast majority of Americans do not have or frequently use Twitter, and much of the platform’s user base is comprised of journalists, politicians, media personalities and celebrities with large followings.
“And if you look at the statistics, you know, only about 20 percent of the public, maybe less, is on Twitter. Twitter is very white, it’s very liberal, it’s very coastal,” Psaki said. “And sometimes it becomes a self-perpetuating thing. Where Twitter drives media coverage, media coverage drives Twitter. It becomes this circle that may not be identified with where people in the public are. But it’s hard to know.”
Psaki is expected to leave her post as press secretary this year to take a gig as a host and analyst on MSNBC. One of her former White House colleagues, Symone Sanders, recently left President Biden’s administration to take a job hosting a weekend show on the same network.
Before joining Biden’s campaign for president, Psaki was an alum of former President Obama’s administration and served as an analyst for CNN.
During Psaki’s time as press secretary, the White House has leaned heavily into social media to promote its various initiatives, inviting social media influencers into the West Wing at one point as part of a messaging campaign.
However, in recent months some news networks and media bosses have signaled a different view on the usefulness of social media and Twitter specifically.
Chris Licht, the incoming president of CNN — one of the networks Psaki reportedly held talks with about a post-White House job — announced this week he would be getting off Twitter once he starts as head of the network.
The New York Times earlier this month issued new guidance for its journalists clarifying that the use of Twitter is optional and promising to do more to support reporters who are targeted or harassed on social media.