Michael Calderone is Media Editor at TheWrap, overseeing coverage of the industry, and with an emphasis on the intersection of media and politics. He was most recently an editor at Vanity Fair and has reported on the media for Politico, HuffPost, and The New York Observer. He has also taught journalism courses at Princeton University and New York University.
Experience:
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How Journalists Survived — and Even Thrived — as Trump’s War Against Media Escalated in 2025 | Analysis
Billion-dollar lawsuits and new press restrictions didn’t stop journalists from holding power to account as they navigated an unprecedented tsunami of news this year
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Columns
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Bari Weiss Is Eroding Fragile Trust at CBS News | Analysis
Weiss may be a TV news novice, but she isn’t politically naive. Her mishandling of a “60 Minutes” investigation is, at best, clumsy, and at worst, cover for the Trump administration
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Columns
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CBS News Insider on Bari Weiss’ ‘60 Minutes’ Fumble: ‘Series of Unfortunate Events’ | Exclusive
Behind-the-scenes concerns about a lack of a voice from the Trump administration played out while the piece was already being promoted publicly
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‘60 Minutes’ Abruptly Pulls Segment on Trump Deportees Sent to El Salvador Megaprison
Correspondent Sharyn Alfonsi decries the move as “political,” and warned the broadcast was handing the administration a “kill switch”
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Donald Trump’s CNN Grudge Looms Over Warner Bros. Discovery Deal | Analysis
The president has inserted his desire for a revamped CNN into the center of the Paramount-Neflix battle
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Columns
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Why Trump Keeps Getting Away With Insulting Female White House Reporters | Analysis
White House Correspondents Association President Weijia Jiang tells TheWrap that “personal attacks” on journalists “will not deter them,” though calls to stand up for maligned colleagues are mounting
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Columns
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Netflix’s Warner Bros. Deal Doesn’t Get CNN Out of ‘Purgatory’
Even as CEO Mark Thompson spoke positively about increased investment in CNN as it spins out next year with Discovery Global, the specter of another shakeup remains
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Business
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CNBC Strikes Deal With Kalshi for Real-Time Prediction Data
The partnership was announced as part of Versant Investor Day, along with plans for an MS NOW direct-to-consumer launch in Summer 2026
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Los Angeles Is On the Cusp of a Local News Boom | Analysis
Three startups – LA Local, LAReported and Murdoch’s California Post – are set to reshape how journalists cover one of America’s most complex cities
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Columns
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New York Times Sues Pentagon Over Press Restrictions
The paper, which rejected new access rules in October along with dozens of news outlets, claims the Defense Department is violating the First Amendment
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Pete Hegseth’s Media Bubble Has Already Popped on Day 1 | Analysis
Even with a new Pentagon press corps packed with conservative reporters and influencers, it’s the legacy media still driving the news cycle
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Columns
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Media Clashes on the Right Could Shape What Comes After Trump: ‘Things are a Hot Mess ’ | Analysis
Debates over Jeffrey Epstein and Nick Fuentes, and who carries the MAGA mantle, have politicians and pundits staking ground ahead of 2028
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Columns
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Former Washington Post Editor Calls Trump’s Jamal Khashoggi Comments ‘A Disgrace’ | Exclusive
Martin Baron, who was the Post’s top editor when the columnist was killed in 2018, tells TheWrap: “Just when you think Trump has gone as low as possible, he goes still lower”
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Columns
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Jeffrey Epstein’s Brother Wants a ‘Real’ Investigation Into Prison Death, Not a ‘Cover-Up’
Mark Epstein tells TheWrap he doesn’t believe his brother committed suicide and is skeptical government files will shed new light on the 2019 death
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Columns
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In the BBC, Trump Faces an Opponent Beyond the White House’s Grasp | Analysis
Unlike Disney and Paramount, the British broadcaster doesn’t contend with government regulatory pressures, and this latest media clash will test the president’s ability to cow news organizations overseas
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Columns
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