Levin graduated from Pennsylvania State University with a bachelor’s degree in English. She began working at watchdog group Media Matters in December 2006 and now serves as press secretary for the organization.
You must watch a lot of cable news! What’s that like?
My day starts off on the treadmill at 6 a.m. with ‘Morning Joe.’ At work, I’m greeted by televisions that remain on Fox News, CNN, MSNBC and C-SPAN for the duration of the day. At night, I’m catching the final minutes of Hannity before I go to sleep. While watching all of this cable news can be exhausting — even bizarre to my friends — and believe me, there are days I’d rather be watching a “Real Housewives” of Atlanta marathon, I like feeling constantly informed … or misinformed as the case may be.
What do you think is the biggest problem with the news media these days?
It’s hard to name just one. Fox News certainly tops the list. It’s disheartening that a network that has abandoned virtually all of its journalistic standards remains the most-watched cable “news” network. To name a few problems that cut across all mediums: favoring style over substance, reporting news as “on the one hand/on the other hand” rather than calling out the lies and getting to the truth, and, unfortunately, the list goes on and on.
How do you unwind away from Media Matters?
Unwind … in Washington? Well, it’s been my goal to take up hobbies not related to the media or politics, so I joined a book club and started taking hip-hop dance classes. That counts, right?
What were you proudest about in the past year?
Lou Dobbs’ resignation was the result of years of hard work from Media Matters and many others. To know that I played even a small part in forcing CNN to live up to its “most trusted name in news” slogan makes me proud. There are less high-profile victories too – corrections in newspapers and live on-air broadcasts.
– Julie Mason
