Fox News host Sean Hannity and MSNBC host Rachel Maddow have tied for the title of “Most Influential in News Media 2019.”
The list published by Mediaite on Tuesday places Hannity and Maddow at the top, followed by CNN Worldwide President Jeff Zucker, and Matt Drudge of the “Drudge Report.”
The reasoning? Hannity and Maddow represent the “warring factions” in this “partisan battle over the country’s future in the Trump era,” according to Mediaite.
Mediaite gives credence to its claim by mentioning how Maddow and Hannity are responsible for their respective networks’ highest prime time ratings.
“These two reflect the divide in America and at 9 p.m., and you will walk away with a completely different impression of the day’s news depending on whose show you watch,” Mediaite writes. “Hannity is the voice of Trump support in the media, Maddow the voice of the resistance. At a time when political media is hyper-partisan, there are no voices as influential in their respective camps as these two hosts.”
“There is an argument to be made that these aren’t just the two most influential members of the media, but two of the most important people in American politics today,” the website concludes.
Other notable mentions on the list include ABC’s chief anchor George Stephanopoulos at number 5, “The View” co-hosts Whoopi Goldberg, Abby Huntsman, Joy Behar, and Meghan McCaign at number 7, and former Fox News hosts Megyn Kelly and Shepard Smith at number 16.