The Atlantic's Alex Wagner: Diversity More Than Just 'Ticking a Box' | Asia Society Skip to main content

Unsupported Browser Detected.
It seems the web browser you're using doesn't support some of the features of this site. For the best experience, we recommend using a modern browser that supports the features of this website. We recommend Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Microsoft Edge

  • Policy
    • Asia Society Policy Institute
      • Center for China Analysis
      • Topics
      • Countries & Regions
      • Publications
      • Initiatives
      • Watch & Listen
      • Events
      • About
      • Support Us
    • Center on U.S.-China Relations
      • Home
      • About
      • Projects
      • Events
      • Reports
      • COAL + ICE
      • ChinaFile
  • Arts
    • Asia Society Museum
      • Visit
      • Exhibitions
      • Programs
      • Collection
      • Asia Society Triennial
      • The Asia Arts and Museum Network
      • Learn
      • Support
    • Asia Arts Game Changer Awards
      • About
      • Honorees
      • Ceremonies
      • Photos
      • Support
    • Creative Voices of Muslim Asia
      • Resources
      • Exhibitions
      • Videos
    • Film
    • Literature
    • Performing Arts
  • Education
    • Chinese Language Learning
    • Global Competency Resources
    • About
  • Initiatives
    • Arts
      • Arts & Museum Summit
      • Asia Arts Game Changer Awards
      • Asia Society Museum: The Asia Arts & Museum Network
      • Creative Voices of Muslim Asia
      • U.S.-China Museum Summit
      • U.S.-Asia Entertainment Summit
    • Education
      • Chinese Language Learning
      • About
    • Leadership
      • Asia Game Changer Awards
      • Asia 21 Young Leaders Initiative
      • Diversity Leadership Initiatives
      • U.S.-China Dialogue
    • Policy
      • Asia Society Policy Institute
      • Center on U.S.-China Relations
    • Sustainability
      • Asia Society Policy Institute
      • Coal + Ice
  • Countries & Regions
    • Column One
      • Afghanistan
      • American Samoa
      • Armenia
      • Australia
      • Azerbaijan
      • Bahrain
      • Bangladesh
      • Bhutan
      • Brunei
      • Cambodia
      • Central Asia
      • China
      • Cook Islands

      • Cyprus
      • East Asia
      • East Timor
      • Fiji
      • French Polynesia
      • Georgia
      • Guam
    • Column Two
      • Hong Kong
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Israel
      • Japan
      • Jordan
      • Kazakhstan
      • Kiribati
      • Kuwait
      • Kyrgyzstan
      • Laos
      • Lebanon
      • Macau
      • Malaysia
      • Maldives
      • Marshall Islands
      • Micronesia
      • Mongolia
    • Column Three
      • Myanmar
      • Nauru
      • Nepal
      • New Caledonia
      • New Zealand
      • Niue
      • North Korea
      • Northern Marianas
      • Oceania
      • Oman
      • Pakistan
      • Palau
      • Palestine
      • Papua New Guinea
      • Philippines
      • Qatar
      • Samoa
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • Solomon Islands
    • Column Four
      • South Asia
      • Southeast Asia
      • South Korea
      • Sri Lanka
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Tajikistan
      • Thailand
      • Tibet
      • Tokelau
      • Tonga
      • Turkey
      • Turkmenistan
      • Tuvalu
      • United Arab Emirates
      • Uzbekistan
      • Vanuatu
      • Vietnam
      • Wallis and Futuna
      • West Asia
      • Yemen
  • Current Affairs
    • Topics
      • Business
      • Climate Change
      • Governance
    • Programming
      • Beyond the Headlines
      • Business of Asia
    • Center on U.S.-China Relations
      • Home
      • About
      • Projects
      • Reports
      • Past Events
      • ChinaFile
  • Look & Listen
    • Asia Society Magazine
    • ChinaFile
    • Podcasts
    • Video Gallery
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events
  • Visit
    • Visit Us
      • Hong Kong
      • New York
      • Texas
    • Global Network
      • Australia
      • France
      • India
      • Japan
      • Korea
      • Northern California
      • Philippines
      • Southern California
      • Switzerland
      • Washington, D.C.
  • About
    • About Asia Society
    • Inclusion & Diversity
    • Background & History
    • Board of Trustees
    • Senior Leadership
    • Global Staff
    • Global Council
    • Careers
    • Interns and Volunteers
    • Financial Statements
    • For the Media
      • Press Releases
  • Support
    • The Campaign for Asia Society
    • Corporate Engagement
      • Business Council
      • Technology and Innovation Council
      • Global Talent and Diversity Council
      • Rising Executives Network
      • Enhancements to Membership
      • Corporate Membership
      • Global Corporate Leaders
    • Membership
    • Donate
    • Donor Privacy Statement
ASIABLOG
Subscribe
Search
  • Policy
    • Asia Society Policy Institute
      • Center for China Analysis
      • Topics
      • Countries & Regions
      • Publications
      • Initiatives
      • Watch & Listen
      • Events
      • About
      • Support Us
    • Center on U.S.-China Relations
      • Home
      • About
      • Projects
      • Events
      • Reports
      • COAL + ICE
      • ChinaFile
  • Arts
    • Asia Society Museum
      • Visit
      • Exhibitions
      • Programs
      • Collection
      • Asia Society Triennial
      • The Asia Arts and Museum Network
      • Learn
      • Support
    • Asia Arts Game Changer Awards
      • About
      • Honorees
      • Ceremonies
      • Photos
      • Support
    • Creative Voices of Muslim Asia
      • Resources
      • Exhibitions
      • Videos
    • Film
    • Literature
    • Performing Arts
  • Education
    • Chinese Language Learning
    • Global Competency Resources
    • About
  • Initiatives
    • Arts
      • Arts & Museum Summit
      • Asia Arts Game Changer Awards
      • Asia Society Museum: The Asia Arts & Museum Network
      • Creative Voices of Muslim Asia
      • U.S.-China Museum Summit
      • U.S.-Asia Entertainment Summit
    • Education
      • Chinese Language Learning
      • About
    • Leadership
      • Asia Game Changer Awards
      • Asia 21 Young Leaders Initiative
      • Diversity Leadership Initiatives
      • U.S.-China Dialogue
    • Policy
      • Asia Society Policy Institute
      • Center on U.S.-China Relations
    • Sustainability
      • Asia Society Policy Institute
      • Coal + Ice
  • Countries & Regions
    • Column One
      • Afghanistan
      • American Samoa
      • Armenia
      • Australia
      • Azerbaijan
      • Bahrain
      • Bangladesh
      • Bhutan
      • Brunei
      • Cambodia
      • Central Asia
      • China
      • Cook Islands

      • Cyprus
      • East Asia
      • East Timor
      • Fiji
      • French Polynesia
      • Georgia
      • Guam
    • Column Two
      • Hong Kong
      • India
      • Indonesia
      • Iran
      • Iraq
      • Israel
      • Japan
      • Jordan
      • Kazakhstan
      • Kiribati
      • Kuwait
      • Kyrgyzstan
      • Laos
      • Lebanon
      • Macau
      • Malaysia
      • Maldives
      • Marshall Islands
      • Micronesia
      • Mongolia
    • Column Three
      • Myanmar
      • Nauru
      • Nepal
      • New Caledonia
      • New Zealand
      • Niue
      • North Korea
      • Northern Marianas
      • Oceania
      • Oman
      • Pakistan
      • Palau
      • Palestine
      • Papua New Guinea
      • Philippines
      • Qatar
      • Samoa
      • Saudi Arabia
      • Singapore
      • Solomon Islands
    • Column Four
      • South Asia
      • Southeast Asia
      • South Korea
      • Sri Lanka
      • Syria
      • Taiwan
      • Tajikistan
      • Thailand
      • Tibet
      • Tokelau
      • Tonga
      • Turkey
      • Turkmenistan
      • Tuvalu
      • United Arab Emirates
      • Uzbekistan
      • Vanuatu
      • Vietnam
      • Wallis and Futuna
      • West Asia
      • Yemen
  • Current Affairs
    • Topics
      • Business
      • Climate Change
      • Governance
    • Programming
      • Beyond the Headlines
      • Business of Asia
    • Center on U.S.-China Relations
      • Home
      • About
      • Projects
      • Reports
      • Past Events
      • ChinaFile
  • Look & Listen
    • Asia Society Magazine
    • ChinaFile
    • Podcasts
    • Video Gallery
  • Events
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events
  • Visit
    • Visit Us
      • Hong Kong
      • New York
      • Texas
    • Global Network
      • Australia
      • France
      • India
      • Japan
      • Korea
      • Northern California
      • Philippines
      • Southern California
      • Switzerland
      • Washington, D.C.
  • About
    • About Asia Society
    • Inclusion & Diversity
    • Background & History
    • Board of Trustees
    • Senior Leadership
    • Global Staff
    • Global Council
    • Careers
    • Interns and Volunteers
    • Financial Statements
    • For the Media
      • Press Releases
  • Support
    • The Campaign for Asia Society
    • Corporate Engagement
      • Business Council
      • Technology and Innovation Council
      • Global Talent and Diversity Council
      • Rising Executives Network
      • Enhancements to Membership
      • Corporate Membership
      • Global Corporate Leaders
    • Membership
    • Donate
    • Donor Privacy Statement

The Atlantic's Alex Wagner: Diversity More Than Just 'Ticking a Box'

June 14th, 2016


(Bennett Raglin/Getty Images)

Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Alex Wagner began her career as a music journalist before turning her attention to national affairs, focusing in particular on the intersection of politics and culture. Wagner has worked in both print and television journalism and is best known as the host of the MSNBC program Now with Alex Wagner, which ran on the network from 2011 to 2015. The 38-year-old Wagner now works as a senior editor at the Atlantic.

Related
Every May for Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, Asia Blog interviews noteworthy Asian Americans from a diverse set of backgrounds. View the complete Q&A archive

Asia Blog recently caught up with Wagner to talk about the importance of covering culture, her Asian American identity, and whether the media is "responsible" for the rise of Donald Trump. The conversation has been slightly edited for clarity.

After being at a television network for so long, what appeals to you about returning to the printed word at the Atlantic?

Television is an amazing platform, and it appeals to a lot of people, but unfortunately the level or in-depth analysis and discussion necessarily has to suffer because of the demands of the format. I was really excited to get back to a place that prides itself and has developed a sterling reputation in terms of its ability to delve deeply into issues that people really care about. When I was in MSNBC, I would always go to the Atlantic to see what their take was on any given news topic of the day, and that was really meaningful: I'd consistently see that the Atlantic had the most provocative, deeply insightful, and ambitious thinking on the news of the day. It’s really a pleasure and honor to be part of the team now, and to help them do the same thing.

What are some of the broader issues that fascinate you as a journalist? If you look ahead to the next months and years, what are some stories or ideas or themes that you want to dive into and cover?

I’m really particularly interested in the intersection of politics and culture. I think we — speaking generally as the media — do a lot of high-intensity coverage about 2016 electoral politics, but we don’t look at the seismic shifts happening underneath that inform the very politics we’re covering. I’m interested in looking at how culture plays a role in shaping our political discourse, and, even, generating the kind of candidates that we have on the stage today. That means calling on my background in the world of art and music and culture, distilled and developed when I was at MSNBC and [AOL's] Politics Daily to understand the contours of political debates.

Your mother is an immigrant from Myanmar. With immigration such a large issue in this presidential election, has your background given you particular insight? 

Well, for sure identity and heritage and immigration are topics of mine, and not only because of my family background. I’m finishing my first book, which is a meditation into the question of how we Americans tell ourselves who we are. It's a subject that intersects with a lot of the stuff that we’ve seen debated on the political stage. I absolutely think as a first generation American on my mom’s side, I’m acutely aware of the softer side — the hope, the optimism, and the complex jumble of emotions that are attendant with any immigration story, and also the inheritance of all that as an American.

I think it’s also been interesting to have all of that very much with me, as there’s been this fierce and roaring debate over who belongs here. Because of my heritage, there’s a deeply emotional core that I always go back to when we have this debate, which I’m sure is the same for almost any immigrant in this country. It’s a very personal and profoundly impactful history, that of coming to America, that you carry with you, and I think that informs all of the ways that we digest the various viewpoints on offer.

Do you think that media organizations have made progress making newsrooms more diverse? What stories deserve wider coverage? And how would diversity help bring these stories forth?

I think newsrooms have done an OK job. At a certain point, there’s a question of having people of color — to tick the diversity box — and then there’s the question of actually having diverse coverage — a media product that is reflective of diverse opinions and diverse backgrounds. I think in this sense we have a lot of work to do. 

It’s great to have black and Latina and Asian American journalists, but you want to make sure they’re not just covering the same topics. First of all, it’s not to say that black journalists have to cover “black” topics. What’s paramount is that you not only have a diverse newsroom in terms of perspective and background, but you also have diverse coverage.

And that’s harder and more elusive, in part because this is a complicated time in media. 2016 has shown that there's a reliance on “power topics," like Donald Trump, that are good for clicks and ratings. And what do we sacrifice in progress? In part, I think we sacrifice coverage on a diverse range of topics, including ones that are particularly relevant to people of color, Asian Americans, black people, and Latinos.

Speaking of the prospective Republican nominee — is it fair to credit, or blame, the media for the Donald Trump phenomenon? Or does the media simply reflect divisions that exist in society?

I think that on some level, the media is culpable for giving Donald Trump free earned media. But that’s important because he was a spectacle from the very beginning — I mean, it’s Donald Trump. Nobody expected him to actually become the nominee. I think you can castigate the media to a certain degree to prompt a more heartfelt look at the ratings, and how much those are drivers of coverage, but ultimately Donald Trump is where he is because he’s gotten votes. If he hadn’t won the states he already had, he wouldn’t be where he is.

I would love to say the media is all-powerful, but unfortunately I know the reality. People get information from there, and the media has a role to play. But there is something incredibly resonant about Trump’s message. He has tapped into something that has nothing to do with cable news. He’s tapped into an emotional, inchoate anger that nobody else did, and for that he’s winning.

Related Links

  • PBS' Hari Sreenivasan: 'Diversity Is More Than Just the Face on TV'
  • Interview: The New Yorker's Adrian Chen on Diversity
apa interviews
donald trump
journalism
media
msnbc
the atlantic
television
digital
asia blog
alex wagner
asia 21 blog
awe related

About the Author

Profile picture for user Matt Schiavenza

Matt Schiavenza is the Assistant Director of Content at Asia Society and Senior Editor of Asia Society Magazine. His work has appeared at The Atlantic, The Daily Beast, The New Republic, The Wire China, and strategy + business among other publications.

About
  • Mission & History
  • Our People
  • Become a Member
  • Career Opportunities
  • Corporate Involvement
visit us
  • Hong Kong
  • New York
  • Texas
global network
  • Australia
  • France
  • India
  • Japan
  • Korea
  • Northern California
  • Philippines
  • Southern California
  • Switzerland
  • Washington, D.C.
resources
  • Arts
  • Asia Society Magazine
  • ChinaFile
  • Current Affairs
  • Education
  • For Kids
  • Policy
  • Video
shop
  • AsiaStore
initiatives
  • Arts & Museum Summit
  • Asia 21 Young Leaders
  • Asia Arts Game Changer Awards
  • Asia Game Changer Awards
  • Asia Society Museum: The Asia Arts & Museum Network
  • Asia Society Policy Institute
  • Asian Women Empowered
  • Center on U.S.-China Relations
  • Coal + Ice
  • Creative Voices of Muslim Asia
  • Global Cities Education Network
  • Global Talent Initiatives
  • U.S.-Asia Entertainment Summit
  • U.S.-China Dialogue
  • U.S.-China Museum Summit
Connect
Email Signup For the media
Asia Society logo
©2023 Asia Society | Privacy Statement | Accessibility | Terms & Conditions | Sitemap | Contact

Asia Society takes no institutional position on policy issues and has no affiliation with any government.
The views expressed by Asia Society staff, fellows, experts, report authors, program speakers, board members, and other affiliates are solely their own. Learn more.

 

 

  • Visit Us
  • Hong Kong
  • New York
  • Texas
  • Global Network
  • Australia
  • France
  • India
  • Japan
  • Korea
  • Northern California
  • Philippines
  • Southern California
  • Switzerland
  • Washington, DC