Black Men Ditched Mainstream Media. Here Is Where They Actually Get Their News.

Black men who voted for former President Joe Biden in 2020 and then current President Donald Trump in 2024 aren’t going to the same places for news as they were in decades past. HuffPost reports that according to a recent focus group conducted by the Democratic firm Navigator Research, these Black voters have chosen to eschew mainstream media in favor of more “nontraditional outlets and independent creators.”

The public’s relationship with mainstream media has been fraught for years, a trend perpetuated by Trump’s constant assault on journalism and his popularization of the term “fake news.” But that trust is as bad now as it’s ever been. “I used to watch a lot of mainstream news, but they’ve been bought out,” said a 45-year-old Black man from Decatur, Georgia, according to HuffPost’s story. 

When they aren’t relying on traditional media outlets, many Black men are going to social media, podcasts, and YouTube to stay abreast of what’s going on. Some of them aren’t even necessarily news outlets at all, but they still keep their listeners aware of what’s going on. Here are some of the places and personalities they’re keeping up with.

Roland Martin Unfiltered

Roland Martin may not technically be a member of mainstream media, but his journalism bonafides are as legitimate as anyone’s. His career includes being the executive editor of the historically Black newspaper Chicago Defender, and serving as a contributor for CNN shows like The Situation Room and Anderson Cooper’s AC360. He’s earned respect in media circles for his coverage of the 2008 presidential election, the Trayvon Martin killing, and more. But his baby is Roland Martin Unfiltered, his daily digital news show that airs at 6 p.m. on YouTube and Instagram. 

Joe Budden Podcast

Joe Budden has gone from being a respected but underrated rap artist to becoming one of the most powerful names in Black media. His eponymous podcast largely focuses on hip-hop music and culture, but he and his cohosts — a cohort with members as diverse as academic-journalist Marc Lamont Hill and podcaster-content creator QueenzFlip — also cover relationships, pop culture, politics, and anything else that pops up on the TL. After two years exclusively working with Spotify, Budden decided to bet on himself and go independent. It was the right move: The New York Times reported in 2025 that the Joe Budden Network was on pace to generate more than $25 million by the end of the year. 

All The Smoke

All The Smoke unites two of the roughest, most distinctive former NBA players of recent memory: Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes. Both of them were known for a willingness to get dirty on the court, letting opponents know exactly what they think and fearlessly defending their teammates. They do the same thing on their podcast, whether they’re covering sports or social topics. 

Touré

Touré has decades of experience as a music and culture journalist, contributing to the likes of VIBE, Rolling Stone, New Yorker, and dozens of others. He continues to his YouTube page to share untold stories, comment on current political and pop culture news, and share video essays. He also cohosts a YouTube show called Rap Latte alongside rap artist King Green, where the duo tackle issues in hip-hop culture.

Tariq Nasheed

After beginning his public-facing career in the late 90s and early 2000s with books and podcasts based on giving advice for dating and pick-up artist tactics, Tariq Nasheed spent the 2010s focusing on building his portfolio as a filmmaker. Hidden Colors, a series of documentary films aimed at telling “the real and untold history of people of color around the globe,” has garnered him a substantial following among Black men. He’s since become one of the most visible figures associated with Foundational Black Americans, a designation and ideology he popularized that aims to focus specifically on the prosperity of direct descendants of chattel slavery in the United States. He uses his YouTube page and social media profiles to share Black history bits and offer his opinion on current events. He’s one of the most controversial figures on this list, but his audience is undeniable: his YouTube page has 277,000 subscribers, and his social media pages have upwards of 300,000 followers.

Marc Lamont Hill Network 

Marc Lamont Hill is a cohost on “The Joe Budden Podcast,” but he uses his own network as a place to dig even deeper.  The longtime journalist/commentator (CNN, Al Jazeera,  HuffPost Live) and academic (CUNY Graduate Center) showcases his breadth of expertise on YouTube and Patreon, where he covers politics, social justice issues, art, and culture. “Office Hours” features deep dives on specific topics, “Conversations” offers interviews with public figures and intellectuals such as Rachel Dolezal and Congressman Jonathan Jackson, and “After Hours” is a segment for live questions from subscribers.

I’ll Do It Myself

Wayne “Wayno” Clark earned his stripes in the music industry behind the scenes, starting as an intern at Roc-A-Fella Records before becoming an A&R in the label’s heyday, and later managing rappers like Dave East. But his skills as a media personality became clear when he joined Complex’s “Everyday Struggle,” where he held his own with firebrand rap personality DJ Akademiks. He’d later land a live show called “Connected With Wayno” on Amazon. He now hosts his own YouTube show, “I’ll Do It Myself,” where he covers music and culture from his Harlem-centric perspective. 

Phil Lewis

Two years ago, HuffPost Front Page Editor Phil Lewis posted on BlueSky, “If you have to mute me because of all the political news, just know I completely understand.” When actress and Abbott Elementary creator Quinta Brunson responded, she spoke for all of us: “Would never mute you. You are, sadly, my most trusted news source.”

Phil Lewis may work at a traditional media outlet – in fact, he wrote the story that this list is based on – but he reaches an audience that doesn’t necessarily follow mainstream media themselves. Simply put, he does the legwork and fact-checking that real journalists do before spreading news. So, despite all the chaos on the TL, if you see his face pop up on X beside his @Phil_Lewis handle, the words are good as gold. He also operates his own Substack newsletter called “What I’m Reading,” which has earned multiple Webby Awards. 

Amanda Seales

Amanda Seales calls her Patreon “The Amandaverse,” and the name is fitting: it’s not just a vehicle for her to share her views on politics and social issues, but a space to channel all of her creativity. She’s used the space to give a behind-the-scenes account of her viral “1 Black Radical vs. 20 Black Conservatives” debate on Jubilee, give a “Smarty Rant” about the Kevin Hart Roast, offer early access to her live one-woman show “What Would The Ancestors Say?” and host weekly “Critical Thinking Kickback” sessions with her subscribers. She also shares her perspective on her YouTube page and her social media profiles. 

Higher Learning

On The Ringer’s Higher Learning, media personality Van Lathan and attorney Rachel Lindsay offer an equal dose of comedy, insight, and expertise. Lathan is arguably one of the most versatile podcasters in the business: he co-hosts a college football show and covers nerd culture via TV and film on shows like The Midnight Boyz. Lindsay is also versatile outside of their collaborations, giving reality TV commentary on The  Ringer’s IG feed. The duo covers just about everything on Higher Learning: recent topics include Michelle Obama’s comments on far-right voters, Drake’s latest album, Iceman, and the question of whether Blackness should be litigated.

Don Lemon

Had this list been released three years ago, Don Lemon wouldn’t have qualified — he spent 17 years as a mainstream media anchor at CNN. But after being fired from the network in 2023, he put his head down and started his own project. “The Don Lemon Show,” which airs twice a day Monday through Friday, has already amassed 1.3 million followers on YouTube. 

The Trump Administration’s Department of Justice charged him with federal civil rights crimes regarding his coverage of an anti-ICE protest at a church in Minnesota. Once he was released after his arrest, he made his message clear while speaking outside the federal courthouse. “I have spent my entire career covering the news – I will not stop now,” he said. “In fact, there is no more important time than right now, this very moment, for a free and independent media that shines a light on the truth and holds those in power accountable.”

Deante Kyle / Grits & Eggs

Deante Kyle has become one of the internet’s most recognizable media personalities, unapologetically calling out oppression in any of its many forms – regardless of who the offender is. After spending years in and out of jail and later becoming a podcast aficionado during endless hours as a truck driver, he launched the “Grits & Eggs” podcast in 2023. He uses his show to speak about everything Black culture, with a perspective that’s often specifically targeted at connecting with Black men who have similar street experiences. But his audience isn’t limited at all: he now has 192,000 subscribers on YouTube, nearly 500,000 followers on Instagram, and 692,000 followers on TikTok.  

The Breakfast Club

The Breakfast Club — the four-person team of DJ Envy, Charlamagne Tha God, Jess Hilarious, and Loren LoRosa — has been nationally syndicated since 2013, airing every morning on 105.1 in New York City and over 90 other markets around the United States. The morning show has had classic interviews with entertainers like Ye (formerly known as Kanye West), Birdman, Mo’Nique, and more, while also welcoming politicians like Governor Wes Moore, Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett and Presidential Candidate Joe Biden. The show recently migrated to Netflix and has since limited its uploads to YouTube, but the show still airs on the radio and posts to social media.

FD Signifier

Not many content creators can pull off a three-hour and 20-minute essay about the Kendrick Lamar vs. Drake beef and keep viewers’ attention, but that’s exactly what FD Signifier did in July 2024 – and the video has 8.2 million views and counting. The Chicago native and former PhD candidate in sociology channels his academic background and his well-read knowledge of sociopolitical history to give some of the most insightful cultural commentary around, whether he’s giving an hour-long essay about Charlie Kirk and the far right, a 12-minute video about the controversy around Cheyenne Bryant, or commentary about the Black church’s criticism of comedian KevOnStage. The perspective is always sharp and thoroughly considered, and he still manages to keep the tone light when the issue calls for it.