Ben Meiselas and His Brothers’ Progressive Media Operation, MeidasTouch, Rises as Top YouTube Contender, Challenging Joe Rogan and Traditional News Outlets

In the residential district nestled at the foot of Los Angeles’ Verdugo Mountains, Ben Meiselas, a seasoned trial lawyer turned YouTube commentator, is busy juggling his hectic schedule. With an overflowing inbox of 588 unread messages, he’s preoccupied with his demanding video production schedule rather than the mountain of text messages awaiting his attention.

“We’ve already published videos at 4 a.m., 5:30 a.m., 7, and another is due at 8:30,” Meiselas explains, as three energetic Maltese terriers scamper around his home. Upon entering, he navigates through his office, marked by glass doors, where an elevated laptop sits on a desk, a camera mounted on a tripod, and bright lights flanking either side – all components essential for his daily political analysis of President Trump’s actions and statements.

“The most effective opening and closing arguments I’ve ever given were not scripted,” he reflects, drawing upon his experience as a trial lawyer to deliver unscripted, off-the-cuff commentary in his videos. He swiftly produces a 14-minute video, providing his perspective on the day’s news, primarily focusing on criticism of Trump. The raw footage is sent to his team for editing, and he simultaneously engages with his colleagues from MeidasTouch in a group chat, brainstorming captivating titles for their videos – titles that have become synonymous with their brand due to the signature all-caps style.

Trump, a frequent target of Meiselas’ commentary, has popularized the all-caps text style on social media. “You need to counteract fire with fire these days,” Meiselas says with a laugh, acknowledging this influence.

MeidasTouch stands out in the online streaming landscape dominated by conservatives and the “manosphere,” an array of content creators catering primarily to male audiences spearheaded by Joe Rogan. Despite this dominance, MeidasTouch ranks among the few left-leaning video podcasts topping YouTube’s rankings. Their success even surpassed Rogan’s No. 1 position on YouTube’s podcast charts at times, prompting speculation about whether Meiselas could become the Rogan of the left. However, he has grown weary of this question.

“People expected me to be that [the Rogan of the left], but I think we need something different,” Meiselas remarks. Though he asserts his content is less divisive than Rogan’s, the approach adopted by MeidasTouch is explicitly partisan, comparable to an amplified MSNBC. Yet, Meiselas disagrees with this comparison, emphasizing that he does not engage in debates with political opponents, a conscious decision due to growing dissatisfaction towards cable news political roundtables.

“Viewers tire of the split-screen format: here’s the left, here’s the right; let them battle it out during commercial breaks,” Meiselas states. Despite millions still consuming cable news daily, MeidasTouch proves to be a formidable competitor in this domain.

Data shared by Meiselas reveals that the MeidasTouch YouTube channel attracts approximately 300 million views monthly, similar to the viewership of Fox News and MSNBC on YouTube combined. The team behind MeidasTouch includes Meiselas’ brothers Brett (former video editor for The Ellen DeGeneres Show) and Jordy (previously in marketing), along with about 30 other contributors – including former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen – who produce videos every 90 minutes across various platforms, such as Instagram, TikTok, and Substack.

Other popular progressive media companies like Pod Save America, More Perfect Union, and The Young Turks are capitalizing on the second Trump presidency. Yet, Meiselas and his team have emerged as frontrunners in this competitive landscape due to their engaging personalities, high-volume content production, adeptness at working algorithms, or a combination of these factors.

Meiselas believes that audiences appreciate how he dissects Trump’s often rambling asides in his speeches – aspects often overlooked by mainstream media. “They would say ‘Donald Trump is talking about making things affordable.’ I’d watch the speech and think, ‘Did you even watch the speech I just watched? That wasn’t what he said,'” Meiselas explains.

Originally from Long Island, Meiselas, aged 40 and the eldest of his brothers, was drawn to high-profile cases that thrust him into the limelight during his legal career. He represented former NFL quarterback and racial injustice activist Colin Kaepernick, and he filed a class-action lawsuit for attendees of the ill-fated Fyre Festival.

During Trump’s first term, amidst the pandemic, the brothers established a political action committee and released political ads mocking Trump that gained viral attention online. They later transformed this political operation into a rapid-response anti-Trump news organization, which has been further amplified during Trump’s second term.

MeidasTouch generates millions of dollars annually in advertising revenue by tapping into an audience of disillusioned progressives who feel overlooked by traditional media.

“The audience is moving in these directions, and many mainstream news organizations are not equipped to cater to them in the manner they prefer,” says Bill Grueskin, a professor at Columbia University School of Journalism and a former editor at The Wall Street Journal. In Trump’s first term, outlets such as The Washington Post and MSNBC received what analysts called a “Trump bump” for confronting the president and his policies. This time around, online streamers are emerging as the primary beneficiaries, according to Grueskin.

“There are multiple sources of outrage every day,” he says. “And outrage is a powerful driver of subscriptions, loyalty, and people’s time.” Additionally, online streamers, unlike mainstream media outlets, can offer edgier and more impassioned commentary due to their lack of constraints regarding fairness and neutrality, according to Edward Wasserman, a journalism professor at the Graduate School of Journalism at the University of California, Berkeley.

“I don’t think mainstream media are capable of providing that kind of fervent critique on Trump,” Wasserman says. Meiselas views his role in the news ecosystem as more than just a political shock jock; rather, he sees himself as an independent voice informing the public about events in Washington. He argues that audiences will continue to seek out his media organization even after Trump leaves office, with their interest extending beyond the president.

“The desire for up-to-date news and information, along with a commitment to defending democracy and people’s rights, will never fade,” Meiselas concludes, embodying the spirit of a former civil rights lawyer.