How Social Media Rewired Journalism ft. Aaron Parnas | Shane Smith Has Questions

From Shane Smith Has Questions by VICE News & Studio71

October 30, 2025 · 58 min · Episode 38

About this episode

Shane Smith and Aaron Parnas discuss the impact of social media on journalism and the evolving relationship of Gen Z with truth and power.

Shane Smith sits down with Aaron Parnas, the 26-year-old lawyer, journalist, and viral political commentator who’s redefining how Americans get their news. Together, they unpack the collapse of public trust in mainstream media, the rise of social platforms as new journalism hubs, and how Gen Z’s relationship to truth and power differs from every generation before. Parnas opens up about growing up amid political scandal, as the son of Lev Parnas, an associate of Rudy Giuliani, and how personal trauma forged his drive to bring clarity and speed to today’s chaotic information ecosystem. He explains how he built a platform reaching more than 80 million Americans on TikTok by reporting in real time using court filings, direct government sources, and social feeds instead of corporate newsrooms. Shane and Aaron compare notes on their own careers in war zones and misinformation battlegrounds, exploring how “social media has democratized journalism” but also created echo chambers, rage cycles, and conspiratorial feedback loops. Protect your family with life insurance from Ethos. Get up to $3 million in coverage in as little as 10 minutes at https://ethos.com/SHANE. Application times may…

People in this episode

Host: Shane Smith

Guest: Aaron Parnas

Topics covered

social media
journalism
Gen Z
public trust
information ecosystem
political commentary

Keywords

social media
journalism
Gen Z
public trust
political commentary
information ecosystem
TikTok
echo chambers
misinformation

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: VICE News, Studio71