Emily Barkann Gets Political on 'Girl And The Gov, The Podcast'
Emily Barkann talks to a young reporter, Eva Shapiro, visiting from KidScoop Media in the White House Briefing Room before a briefing by White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. As part of Barkann’s position, she mentors students who are passionate about political journalism (Olivia Pasquale/AKSM Photography).
Journalist Emily Barkann spoke on the need for the “people’s house” to be accessible to the media; something that has become better in the wake of the Trump administration and their goal to limit media access to the West Wing.
Article by Maddie Tyler, AKSM News
WASHINGTON - Emmy award-winning journalist Emily Barkann was Wednesday’s featured guest on the Girl and the Gov podcast. The podcast - hosted by Sammy Kanter and Maddie Medved - is released in two parts each week with a goal “to provide a platform for Millennials, Zennials, and Gen-Z to engage with the evolving political sphere in an approachable, digestible, and accessible way.”
Since the start of the podcast back in September of 2020, Kanter and Medved have interviewed dozens of experts in the political field ranging from CEOs to members of congress and beyond. In addition to Wednesday’s expert guest interview, the pair spend their Tuesday episodes going over hot news topics of the week where they shed a more personal, fun, and opinionated viewpoint of what’s going on in the political world.
Barkann, who serves as a chief White House correspondent, reports daily on the happenings of the President and the ever changing White House news cycle. On Wednesday’s episode, Barkann provided a behind the scenes look at the White House’s historic briefing room. Barkann talked about everything from her ever-changing schedule to press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre’s daily briefings. Barkann spoke on the tensions that are sometimes present in the - as Medved puts it, “tricky to navigate” and small - briefing room between the Biden administration and reporters from networks such as FOX News.
Barkann also spoke on the need for the “people’s house” to be accessible to the media; something Barkann mentions has become better in the wake of the Trump administration and their goal to limit media access to the West Wing. Barkann noted the time in November of 2018 when CNN’s former chief White House correspondent, Jim Acosta, had his credentials pulled by the Trump White House. Barkann said that “[…] as Americans, who do live in a democracy, we need to know what - we need to have absolute transparency [with the White House].” Barkann went on to describe the White House press pool as serving as a check and balance for the American people saying, “[…] we have checks and balances throughout the three branches, the fourth branch - which is the people - also has to have a hand in that as well and be checking the rest of the branches at the same time […].”
Medved mentioned former press sectary Jen Psaki and how she was, “[…] the perfect transition period […]” and that Psaki, “can transition [the country] out of that Trumpian-era […] where we can make things more normal again […].” Barkann commented on the transparency of the Biden administration and Jean-Pierre by calling Jean-Pierre’s treatment of reporters in the briefing room, “a testament though as to how nice she is […] and tries to be as helpful [as she can].”
Kanter commented that, “[…] any president in the last [few administrations] has a lot in common with reality stars.” She went on to further explain that the constant nature of having a press pool following the first and second families with live cameras on a 24/7/365 basis has the ability to create a “fake news” nature where, “things get edited in certain ways and certain POVs that are different than [the reality of the context]” by certain viewers and commentators. Medved replied to that comment by saying, “that aspect is vital to democracy, […] that’s kinda existential.”
Barkann - who has amassed a following on her TikTok account where she gives her followers an inside look at her job - doesn’t shy away from putting her own personal opinions on her social media accounts. In July of 2020, Barkann was quoted in a People Magazine article talking about backlash that retailer SHEIN received after selling a 'Swastika Pendant Necklace' saying that, “It seems like no one has seen this disgusting and antisemitic product that SHEIN is selling. Time to boycott this company not only because of their unsustainable fast fashion, but their support of hate.” Barkann also used her social media network to correct “fake news”; even going as far as to post a response to a viewer who was trying to spread incorrect facts about the 9/11 attacks.
Barkann would wrap up the hour-long episode by saying her goal is to, “[…] let people into the White House and see what it is like. […] I also want it to be accessible to people because you cannot get behind something that you don’t understand or be a proponent of it with the state of the world right now and our country. I just think that is just one thing we can do to teach people civics a little bit more - to know what is going on in one of your most important governmental buildings.”
You can listen to Barkann’s interview with Kanter and Medved above or on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Stitcher or watch a recording of the interview on YouTube. You can find more information on Girl and the Gov on their website, Instagrams, and TikTok.