NBC News’ Noah Oppenheim and Los Angeles Times’ Stephen Battaglio at SXSW 2019 [Video]

Noah Oppenheim, President of NBC News, took the stage during a Featured Session with Los Angeles Times writer Stephen Battaglio to discuss the Renaissance in journalism alongside NBC News investigative journalists Carol Lee and Ken Dilanian.

Topics discussed ranged from NBC's efforts to keep up with consumer's changing media consumption habits, the importance of investigative journalism, and what it's like to cover the White House today.

Though Oppenheim expanded on how NBC has created new digital platform to meet consumers where they are for their news consumption, he kept returning to the sentiment that NBC will continue to keep their edge as one of the leaders in original journalism with their over 500 investigative scoops in just the last two years.

“Investigative journalism first and foremost, we feel like, is our responsibility. It’s the role we feel like we are intended to play in a democratic society and we love to play it.” -Noah Oppenheim

Later, when Lee and Dilanian joined the conversation, Lee discussed the experience of being a reporter in Washington D.C. amongst the current political climate.

“That’s where original reporting has become so important. This is a president who is constantly trying to set the agenda, and to the extent that we can set the agenda and find out things that they don’t want us to be talking about and reporting on, that’s really important.” -Carol Lee

Dilanian also talked about the current White House and how the dysfunction has led to an unprecedented amount of leaks and other unseen phenomena that make it a unique time to be an investigative journalist in D.C.

“The state of abnormality with this White House is such that people are willing to disclose this information.” -Ken Dilanian

Watch the entire Featured Session as well as more SXSW 2019 videos from Conference, Featured Speakers, and Keynotes on our YouTube channel.

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Featured Image by Anthony Moreno