How Philip DeFranco Presents His News: An Analytical Piece
The Philip DeFranco Show is a unique news source that focuses on online audiences, specifically those of the YouTube generation. This is evident in the way the information is delivered, as well as what stories are presented to Phil’s audience. But how does it compare to other news sources? What similarities and differences are there, and what do they mean?
Comparing News Shows: The Philip DeFranco Show v. The CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell
When comparing news sources, it is only fair that they have similar run times and target audiences. Otherwise, it would be unfair to gauge the engagement and story content — people looking for local content won’t turn to national news, and vice versa. For this study, I would like to quickly analyze The Philip DeFranco Show and the CBS Evening News. Both shows target national audiences and run twenty minutes, not including commercials. Although they are scripted differently and focus on different platforms to get their information out, they are similar news sources.
On September 26, 2019, The Philip DeFranco Show highlighted three main stories within its seventeen minute coverage. Philip DeFranco discussed the ADL adding the “OK” hand sign to their database of hate symbols, internet celebrity David Dobrik giving a homeless man free Chipotle and a car, and updates on the whistleblower complaint alleging that current U.S. President Donald Trump asked for the President of Ukraine to investigate former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden.
On the same day, the CBS Evening News with Norah O’Donnell featured five stories, one of which was also the “whistleblower” incident. O’Donnell also presented America with information regarding the sicknesses and deaths related to vaping, a flaw in the certification process of the 737 Max aircraft, the search of a killer between the U.S. and Mexico, and recognizing an airforce officer.
While Phil’s videos often target a younger, internet-based audience and the CBS Evening News targets older Americans who still rely on television, both news sources had the “whistleblower” situation as their main features. Rather than compare the accuracy of the news sources, I believe this coincidence shows the genuine sense of urgency and concern revolving around this story. One can see from the variety of content both shows have that they seldom focus on the same story, and when they do, it is something of concern for everyone.
Comparing News Stories: RogueRocket’s “‘OK’ Hand Sign, ‘Bowlcut,’ and More Added to ADL Hate Symbol List’” v. The Washington Post’s “The ‘okay’ hand sign has moved from trolling campaign to real hate symbol, civil rights group says”
The Anti-Defamation League is well-known for their list and database of hate symbols. The “Hate on Display” database, like any other, is updated as new ideas are created by extremist groups. Recently, the ADL has made headlines as they recognize the “okay” hand sign as a symbol of hate. The motion is when one creates a circle with their pointer finger and thumb, leaving the other three fingers sticking straight upward.
Philip DeFranco covered this in his online show, but also on his website Rogue Rocket, which is fairly new. One of his team researchers, Maddie Crichton, posted an article echoing what Phil said in his video coverage, but in more detail and written for the eye rather than for the ear.
In their coverage of it, the article describes that the “okay” hand sign and the “bowlcut” haircut were added to the list of hate symbols, along with 34 other things. However, it is noted both in this article and on the ADL website that “symbols in [the Hate on Display] database may be significant to people who are not extreme or racist.” The Rogue Rocket article, upon explaining the situation, also highlights some reactions from other internet users regarding the situation.
The Washington Post’s article says that the “okay” hand gesture, among 35 other symbols, have been recognized as hate symbols, mainly supporting white supremacy. Washington Post writers Marisa Iati and Abby Ohlheiser, who wrote the article, focus on the history of use and developed meaning of the hand sign and site Mark Pitcavage, a “senior fellow” at ADL, mainly throughout the piece.
First, the Washington Post and Rogue Rocket are very different websites to navigate by. Ironically, the cheaper and newer Rogue Rocket has a cleaner presentation and seems more professional with subheadings and fewer external advertisements. They even go as far as to provide a disclaimer at the bottom of the article, explaining their choice for not featuring certain content. This is very unexpected — even though the Washington Post doesn’t have the most “prim and proper” reputation, one would expect the more well-known and referred to site to seem favorable in these ways specifically.
I would also like to breakdown the headlines of both of these articles. While internally, they offer the same information, their headlines provide different “clickbait” context. Rogue Rocket clearly defines their article’s topic, using key phrases such as “’ok’ hand sign,” “’bowlcut,’” and “ADL.” However, the Washington Post’s headline is vaguer and teasing. They still use the “’okay’ hand sign” key phrase, but completely forget to mention the additive of the bowlcut, and refer to the ADL as a “civil rights group.” This headline does not present all of the information in the article and it leaves the readers initially confused as to who this “civil rights group” is. For users that strictly refer to the headline in shareable media, this can lead to catastrophic conclusions.
Also, in comparing how the links act as shareable media, they have startlingly similar thumbnail photos. In the provided metadata, the Washington Post’s link also shows the date, and while that’s relevant, it takes away from the actual information of the story. I find Rogue Rocket’s metadata to be more condensed and accurate for the purpose of it being shared across social media platforms.
Finally, in comparing the way the context of each article is written, I strangely find The Washington Post’s to be more descriptive. More names are given to key characters, such as specific spokespeople of ADL. The Washington Post also gives more of a description to each “hate symbol” and its background. However, as a human being, I appreciate the lack of names in the Roque Rocket article, especially concerning a mass killer. In my personal opinion, mass killers do what they do for attention, and always referring to them by name and going back to that event gives them that satisfaction. Roque Rocket agrees with this sentiment and refuses to conduct such notoriety.
How Philip DeFranco Uses Twitter
Analyzing Philip DeFranco’s Twitter as an individual reporter is difficult. Due to the platform he operates on and the audience he operates for, his Twitter is less appealing to the journalistic eye. While journalists typically must find the balance of personal authenticity, promoting their content, being informative, and live-tweeting events, creators of internet content must typically focus on authenticity and transparency.
Audiences based online find their information and “live” event stories through other online sources, but rely on the individual social media accounts of these reporters to emphasize their own humanity. The internet demands separation between the person delivering the content on their show and the person being themselves on every other platform. And Phil caters to the internet’s demand very well.
While his only “live-tweeting” experience comes from a snarky side comment about politics, Phil is a master at engagement with his community and staying transparent on Twitter. His tweets range from silly comments and jokes to engaging with fans directly to commenting on his personal life.
Phil is even known to create contests for his fans to win merchandise or be part of the show. He shares projects that he’s super excited about, from video games to music videos, both from big and small creators.
Another fan-favorite way Phil uses his Twitter is to break the fourth wall and self-critique his work. This ranges from correcting his content to making meaningless side comments about it. The internet seems to appreciate the other sense of awareness as it not only helps humanize Phil, but it’s also entertaining and engaging compared to other content shared by anyone else.
