“Turn your phone into a TV studio”

After nearly two decades anchoring at CNN, Jim Acosta is reimagining what live news reporting can look like and where it can happen. In just a few weeks, The Jim Acosta Show has opened up a direct line between Acosta and his audience, offering a new immediacy and flexibility in how he covers a story. In these highlights from a recent conversation with Substack CEO Chris Best, Acosta reflects on authenticity, going live from unexpected places, and reaching audiences where they are.

On turning your phone into a TV studio

Chris Best:  A few years ago, people knew Substack primarily as a place for writers and print journalists. And you’re a journalist, but you’re also a TV star. You didn’t know what Substack was about a few weeks ago, and today you’re running this thriving independent media empire. Just how did that happen?

Jim Acosta:  To your point, I had the same thought about Substack. I thought it was primarily a place where people would share their writing, their journalism. As soon as I started doing it, I was hooked. I was really kind of addicted right away.

In addition to having the ability to sort of turn your phone into a TV studio, you get the instant response from the viewers, from the people who are tuning in and giving you their comments. And so sometimes I’ll be interviewing a lawmaker or an opinion leader or somebody like that and somebody will make a point or ask a question and I’ll think, “Oh yeah, why didn’t I think of that? That’s a good question.” And then I’ll ask that.

On interviews and access

Jim Acosta: I have found that not only can you get lawmakers and opinion leaders and those kinds of folks on this show or on this platform—I had Pete Buttigieg on the other day—I think to some extent they want to come on. I think you are going to see folks wanting to come on this platform to reach a different kind of audience.

I think [live video] wants to pull the authenticity out of you, pull the real you out of you. You know, I hadn’t really dropped an F-bomb before doing Substack. And there are days when you just wanna say it!

And you know, the way folks can come on this platform and just tell it like it is, or at least the way they think it is, and just let it fly and let the chips fall where they may. Not be irresponsible or anything like that—be respectful, be professional as much as you can—but just honestly tell people what you think and what you believe to be happening right now and why it’s so darn important.

I think people want that right now. They’re like, get out of the studio with the hairspray and the makeup and the canned bits and the teleprompters and all that stuff, and just talk to me. Just tell me what’s going on. And I do think people are responding to that. And you have a whole host of people here on Substack who just do an amazing job at that.

On going live anywhere

Jim Acosta: The Associated Press decided to file a lawsuit to challenge the Trump administration for banning them from the Oval Office and Air Force One. And I thought, you know what? I want to do something right here [in the airport], right now. Let’s do it. Let’s talk about this thing. And I was reading through the lawsuit and saying, you know, look at this. They’re talking about this case over here and this aspect of the matter over there. And it just felt like an instant way to get the news out there.

There was a show I did a couple of weeks ago where a friend of mine, Lauren Windsor, who is a documentary filmmaker, was at one of these anti-DOGE rallies. This one was down in North Carolina. And I said, you know what? Why don’t you just do a live report on my Substack podcast? And we got her on her cell. Service wasn’t so great because there were so many people at this darn thing. But you could hear what she was saying, and she was panning the camera around, showing what was going on. And it was almost like having a live reporter on the scene. And I thought to myself, you know, I should try to do this more often.

[Substack] does have the potential to be a live news platform where you can have journalists on here saying, wow, something just broke. This is important. This is happening right now.

This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.