WRFH/Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM - The WRFH Interview: Rob Bluey

Episode Date: October 7, 2025

Rob Bluey, president and executive editor at the Daily Signal, joins WRFH and host Lauren Bixler for a wide-ranging conversation during a visit to Hillsdale College's campus.From 10/07/25.

This is Radio Free Hillsdale 101.7 FM. I'm Lauren Bixler. With me today is Robert Blewey, president and executive editor of The Daily Signal, a respected news source of policy-based news and analysis. The Daily Signal was born from the Heritage Foundation in 2014 to provide insightful, credible reporting, and influential commentary on policy issues from a conservative perspective. Mr. Bluey was the founding editor. editor of the Daily Signal and now serves as president. Mr. Bluey, thank you for joining us today. Well, thank you so much for having me. It's an honor to be here. Well, first of all, for those who may not be familiar with the Daily Signal, would you tell us a bit about the

organization in the scope of DC Media, U.S. media, conservative media generally? Absolutely. The Daily Signal was started in 2014. At a time when the media landscape was changing quite dramatically due to the rise of social media, how Americans were getting their news. And we felt that there was an opportunity to play a disruptive force in that whole change that was taking place, particularly when it came to covering policy and politics. And so we are based in Washington, D.C., but we cover stories that happened across the country. And over the course of the past decade, what I've observed is that more and more Americans have lost trust in legacy media organizations and they're looking for alternatives like the Daily Signal. And so we strive to

deliver the news in formats, whether it be a written story, a podcast, a video, on the platforms that the American people are consuming news. And those are changing on a daily basis. It's a challenge to keep up with all of the changes that are happening right now. But at the end of the day, what we aim to do is to deliver factual news, conservative commentary and analysis about things that are going on in the world and highlight some of the stories that probably go unreported or certainly underreported by some of those other media institutions. So as conservative news specifically, what does it mean to be conservative as opposed to Republican or moderate? I'm not sure everyone is aware of what that distinction is and why it's

essential to your mission as the Daily Signal. Lauren, that's a great question. Thank you for asking it. oftentimes, I mean, the best way to put it is the Republican Party is a party that exists primarily to win elections. That's the purpose of it. And so we have two major political parties in this country. There are a lot of minor political parties in this country as well, but by and large, the Democrats and Republicans are the ones that are represented in Congress or the White House or in state houses all across this country. Conservatism is different in the respect that it's a set of principles or values that I believe in and that have been articulated through decades

from people like Russell Kirk or Edmund Burke or Barry Goldwater. And oftentimes you would have an individual who would say, well, I'm a conservative, not a Republican, or I'm a conservative, although my values might align most closely with the Republican Party. But I believe that that distinction is important because there are times when, for political purposes, Republicans may do something that is at odds with your conservative beliefs or values. And so as it pertains to the daily signal and what we strive to do is, we operate on the same principles that we started with when the Heritage Foundation created us in 2014. And those are traditional American values, a strong national defense, limited government,

all of those things that you would traditionally associate with what I consider common sense values in this country. And we strive to not only focus on policy issues and the various cultural factors that intersect with those issues, but also as we look forward, making sure we're a mission-driven news organization. So we want to have an impact. And so not only are we looking to cover stories that are happening in the world or reacting to the news, but hopefully we're also in a position where we can have an impact, we can help set the narrative, or and the questions we ask at the White House and Congress really shape the news. We want to be where the news gets its news.

And so we think we can do that by charting a different course from what some other traditional legacy organizations have been able to do. I think there's definitely a need for that. And I'm curious, how have you seen your followership change over the years, perhaps even recently with everything going on? Has there been an increase in subscribers? What does that look like? Absolutely. There definitely has. So when the Daily Signal was started in 2014, certainly we relied on the extensive membership of the Heritage Foundation to deliver them the news first and foremost. And so we started with a great foundation because those are individuals who are certainly engaged in the political process in this country and very active news consumers. And I would say that the changes that I've observed is we went from a situation in 2014 and 2015.

when social media platforms like Facebook were driving the vast number of eyeballs to our website to a situation where they changed their algorithms, largely, I think, as a consequence of Donald Trump's election the first time, they decided to de-emphasize news. So we had to figure out, how are we going to distribute our content?

And so we started to build our own, owned audience through email newsletters, through direct traffic to our website, through podcasts, through videos. And so sometime, we just surpassed, for instance, five million followers across all of the social media platforms where the Daily Signal has a presence. And so that is an active group of individuals who consume daily signal content, as are the hundreds of thousands of email subscribers who get our newsletter twice a day.

And so I think it's important for anybody who's in the media business and certainly publishing on a regular basis to figure that, question out, and that's one of the biggest changes that I've observed over the last decade, is that those consumption habits are changing on a daily basis. And the way that baby boomers and Gen X get their news are quite different from millennials and Gen Z. And so we as a publisher need to be responsive to that. It might mean creating short videos to publish on YouTube shorts or Instagram reels. It could also mean doing longer form investigative stories that would be more traditional approach to journalism. And then I think the importance of video can't be overstated. That is

clearly the direction that we're headed and so many news organizations have made great strides in, and we aim to do so as well. And so I've always said that with the daily signal, we want to respect the time-constrained audience that we serve. We know that the American people are busy. Many of them are not as obsessed about the news and politics as those of us who live in Washington, D.C. So how do you boil things down in five minutes or less where they can consume the content and feel that they're well informed? As a mission-driven organization, how do you keep all of those things at the forefront of what you do while also considering your following and how many people are consuming your content? And especially as a representative of conservatism and common sense

values. It's a challenge because you could find yourself in a situation almost on a daily, if not hourly basis where you are reacting to world events. There's so much news happening. There used to be in a situation where the news cycle would last 24 hours or more, and now it seems like it lasts 24 minutes or less. Right. And so you are constantly trying to keep pace with not only President Trump who moves at lightning speed and what he's doing in the White House, but everything else that are happening in state capitals or capitals and countries across our earth. So you have a situation where as a mission-driven news organization, you try to stay focused on what it is you're trying to accomplish. There's a set of beats that we have a reporters focused on that are important, certainly to our audience.

We've asked our audience what it is that they would like to see us cover. We also know that there are certain things that we strive to, strive to accomplish in setting out and doing that. So I would say you have to find the right balance. You can't ignore the day-to-day news, but at the same time, you have to have some longer-term priorities. And we've tried to strike that balance by not only investing in investigative reporting, so we have investigative reporting on the team where they're doing original journalism that you won't find anywhere else. And then also being active on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. at the White House, we have two state-based correspondents who are now in Ohio and Virginia covering state government and state. politics. And so I'm hopeful that the daily signal can expand and continue to grow it in this way. And the last thing I'll say is, I think it's just important to be honest with the audience about what it is we're trying to accomplish. We want to demonstrate to our supporters. We are a 501c3 non-profits, so we rely on donations. We want to have influence and demonstrate impact for those people who support us. And that's what they're expecting us to do. And so,

Oftentimes when you're in a situation like that in the news business, that means covering stories that are going to get picked up or get attention from bigger news outlets than the Daily Signal. I think something on this theme that people would be interested in knowing is from your sphere, looking at the news every single day, what seems to be the biggest threat we're facing as a nation? How is the soul of our nation looking, so to say? I mean, that's probably a big question to impact, but with your bird's-eyed view, you might have some thoughts for us. Well, there are two things that immediately come to mind, and there are two areas where I expect you'll see a lot more coverage from the Daily Signal in the future. And a lot of this has crystallized in the wake of Charlie Kirk's tragic assassination.

I'd say, first and foremost, the loss of faith in this country is deeply concerning to me, not only as a Christian, but also as somebody who understands the founding values of this country, were really grounded in faith. And that is a piece that I don't know necessarily how we turn the tide. I'm really hopeful about what people are talking about, the spiritual revival that has happened in the last few weeks since the Kirk assassination, and the people are returning to church, returning to faith,

and having a belief in God again. That is tremendous. I think that the second piece, which is somewhat related to that, is the breakdown of the American family. This country would not have thrived the way that it did, and certainly in its early days, were it not for that nuclear family, a mom, a dad, and kids. And we've seen people having fewer and fewer children. We've seen, obviously, the divorce rate skyrocket in this country. We've seen individuals who cohabitate but don't marry. And so what role can we as conservatives play? and this, I think, is directly related to media coverage and telling stories about the benefits of entering into a marriage and having children and promoting those values to the next generation. Because I think our country's future depends on it.

And so those are two of the challenges that I'm interested in covering from a news standpoint. And I don't have all the answers, but I think that that's one of the great things about journalism is that you're oftentimes, you set out with questions as you're asking. me today and you talk to some really smart people and you try to figure that out and you inform your audience about different things that you learn along the way. And I think sometimes people forget we're all experiencing life for the first time. And we all at least think we're right to some degree and hope we're as close to the truth as possible. But the only way we can do that is through talking with each other and trying to in a

sort of Socratic manner aim at the truth through conversation, and that directly embodies what Charlie Kirk was for us. But now it just seems odd to talk about because this whole situation doesn't feel real. It doesn't. It doesn't. And you touched on an important word there, which I'm glad you brought up, and that is the truth. And it goes back to the question you asked earlier about the loss of trust. And I think that one of the components of that is that they don't feel that the news media,

traditional news media is telling them the truth. The American people have lost faith that that's what they're getting. And I think that certainly truth is grounded depending on your belief. Certainly in my case, it's grounded on the word of God and what we have grown up to know. And I think a lot of people who don't have that foundation probably are approaching it from a different perspective. But when you have a situation where journalists are more interested in promoting a particular agenda, a political agenda, or ideological agenda, than actually telling the truth, that's when I think you find yourself in a situation where we may be in today. And that's one of the things I admired about Charlie Kirk. Charlie Kirk, first and foremost, was grounded in his

Christian values and beliefs, and there was a lot that Charlie Kirk did with pastors and churches beyond the political sphere. I think that so many have made the mistake, so many in the traditional media have made the mistake when they're commenting on Charlie Kirk to ignore that aspect of his life. And I think that that's how he was able to reach so many people, particularly young men,

and have a positive influence on their life. So I do think that we're very blessed that there's a tremendous archive of Charlie Kirk content that we can turn to and still show young people today. Obviously, I'm hopeful for what Erica Kirk and the Turning Point USA team will do going forward. I think that there's hopefully tremendous potential now that more people are aware of TPUSA today than maybe even before.

A question that has come up for me and others in the conservative community with regard to Charlie Kirk is, what should the proper response be? Because I've noticed a lot of the media and especially the left calling to renounce political violence. And that, seems like an incomplete response, because for those who are of a more conservative mind who focus on the ideological battle of a nation, similar to Lincoln, who fought for an America that could not be fundamentally divided, the answer goes so much beyond that. So how does the daily signal maybe approach or has approached the topic? Lauren, there's a lot to unpack there. I would say, first and foremost, one thing that I would criticize my peers in traditional media is they,

oftentimes I felt misrepresented over the course of the past few weeks, Charlie Kirk's views. So they didn't necessarily, they had a certain perception of him, and they either didn't listen to what his actual words were, or they were led to believe that he was doing something else. And then that would, they would say that they renounce political violence, but that would be oftentimes followed by well, Charlie Kirk, you know, said these reprehensible things when, in fact, you might not have even been Charlie Kirk who said that, but somebody said that about him. And so I think that's important to put out. Let's judge the man by what he actually said. As it pertains to the broader issue and how the Daily Signal has gone about covering it,

I think that, number one, it goes back to your earlier question about just the, it's hard to have find common ground with your fellow American when they have such an affront to some of the most basic ideas. Like, for instance, if you're a church-going individual and they have a hostility toward faith, it's hard to sit down and even have a conversation. But I think we need to figure out ways to overcome that. And I'm hopeful that what we've experienced in our country, even among people who may differ politically, we can have that conversation. some of my own personal encounters and with other journalists. I've noticed a slight change, and I'm hopeful that that will continue. But we need to be honest about the situation we find ourselves

in. For over a century now, it seems that the left has been making a long march through our institutions and so much of our culture. And so whether you're talking about taking over government, academia, Hollywood, even churches. You can go down the list of institutions in this country, and you find yourself in a situation where conservatives or Christians are oftentimes, you know, a distinct minority whose views are not respected or valued. And that's going to take a long time for us to overcome. My hope is that with the renewed energy we're seeing in this country, particularly among

your generation, that we're starting to see a shift. But I'm under no illusions that it's going to take probably decades to dig ourselves out. And how do you think we're going to kind of work ourselves out of it, or at least begin going down that path and perhaps the path that Erica Kirk has helped set forth in her response to Charlie's assassination? Absolutely. I mean, Erica Kirk has been such a strong role model for,

everyone, frankly, but I think particularly young people to see her not only come out with that message two days after the assassination and then her speak at Charlie Kirk's memorial was just powerful. And I am hopeful that people will take her message to heart, the fact that she was able to forgive his killer on that public stage, send a message of Jesus Christ to love your neighbor, to engage in those debates as you talked about. I think that that is certainly, what our founders of this country strive to do. They themselves didn't agree on things. Look at the debates that happened in the early days of our republic.

And that's hopefully where we can get back to. But again, I do think that the American people need to have some patience. Things are not going to necessarily change overnight. And I do think that it's so critically important for those who are listening to think about, you know, that formation of our children and making sure that they have a strong. foundation so that they enter adulthood with that same mentality that you spoke of, wanting to engage in civil discourse. Well, as we close up, thank you again for being here. What do you see as the future of the

daily signal? What's the trend of the media sphere for better or for worse? And where do you fit in here? Lauren, thank you so much for the opportunity to do this interview. And that's a great question to end on because I'll first say that I wish I had all the answers. I don't. I think what we've seen over the course of the first six months of the Trump administration are massive changes in the media landscape. Some of those would have happened naturally. A lot of those, I think, are happening because of this reckoning that they're having as a result of Donald Trump re-emerging and winning, making this historic and unprecedented comeback that he did. And what I expect to have happen is you will continue to see individual personalities, probably gain

a lot more credibility with audiences. You're already seeing some traditional journalists leave some of these big brands and branch out on their own. Probably you'll see a continued trend in that direction. I think you'll also see individuals, individual Americans looking at a multitude of sources for their news. And I really stress the importance of having a balanced news diet. There are people who subscribers who say, I rely on the daily signal for all my news. And I tell them, please look at sources as well because we are a small team and we can't deliver all of the news that you need to consume on any given day. But my hope is, regardless of all the changes that are in no doubt going to happen over the course of the next few years, is that we will have an educated and informed

citizenry that will be much more active and engaged in their communities at their state level and at the national level. And I think that we will be a country that's much better off. if those of us in the news media, think about them, that audience that we're trying to serve. That is ultimately the goal. And a commitment to the truth, as you brought up earlier, is what we need to strive for. Well, thank you for being a mission-driven outlet we can rely on for you to do your best, to be as close to the truth as possible. We need more of that.

So thank you, truly. Our guest has been Robert Blewey, and I'm Lauren Bixler on Radio Free Hillsdale 101. F.m.