Steve Barrett has worked with thousands of journalist throughout his 35 year career - but never had a conversation this good! Longtime national TV broadcaster Sage Steele is now the host of The Sage Steele Show on YouTube and all podcast platforms. Previously, she was a fixture at ESPN from 2007-2023, primarily hosting the network’s flagship show, SportsCenter. In this episode of Barrett and Baxa, Sage talks with Steve about the collapse of trust in mainstream media - and how Americans can learn to believe what they hear again (if that’s possible).
In a sharp, funny, and surprisingly personal conversation, Steve and Sage break down the collapse of journalism, parents in newsrooms, the rise of media bias, the fear that keeps big public figures quiet, and why independent media is probably the future. If you’ve been watching the slow unraveling of traditional news and wondering what happened, this episode gives you the inside view from someone who lived it.
It's a wide-ranging discussion about free speech, cancel culture, newsroom culture, media credibility, and the political and cultural forces that changed journalism. They talk about the Obama years, Trump-era media shifts, sports media becoming political, why journalists stopped hiding their opinions, and how podcasts and independent creators are replacing old-school gatekeepers. Sage also opens up about losing friendships, speaking out on controversial issues, protecting women’s sports, and what it really costs to tell the truth in public.
It’s part media autopsy, part free speech debate, and part reunion between two veteran journalists who have seen the business from the inside. Along the way, there are laughs, a little nostalgia, some painful honesty, and a lot of hard truths. This Barrett and Baxa conversation with Sage Steele is one you don’t want to miss.
Barrett and Baxa | #105
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