Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration. Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Alex | Email Max When President JOE BIDEN nominated Judge KETANJI BROWN JACKSON to the Supreme Court last month, his team booked several important interviews to promote the moment. But they weren’t with the New York Times, the Washington Post, or any of the major news networks. Instead, Biden sat down to explain the nomination with HEATHER COX RICHARDSON, a left-leaning Boston College professor who publishes a widely-read newsletter on Substack on politics through a historical lens, and BRIAN TYLER COHEN, a self-employed 33-year-old YouTuber who has only been interviewing major political figures for less than two years. Just several days later, immediately after Biden’s first state of the union address, chief of staff RON KLAIN appeared across several television and media outlets to talk about the president’s speech. But he offered his first post-address reaction not to any of the papers or cable news networks. Instead, he held a live chat on Twitter Spaces hosted by Occupy Democrats and MeidasTouch, a liberal organization and pro-Biden PAC. Those interviews represent a subtle but potentially significant shift in communications strategy for a White House that has been slower to boost lefty digital media outlets than many supporters would like. Biden and his team have remained reluctant to give out interviews to major publications. Over a year in, the president has not done a sitdown interview with the Associated Press, the Times or Post newsrooms, or even the most esteemed outlets like, say, POLITICO. But he also wasn’t talking to progressive media either, with the White House choosing instead to send cabinet officials to talk to those outlets, while feeding them only occasional scoops. That now seems to be changing. Cohen is a former writer on the popular left-leaning Facebook page Occupy Democrats who has built a following of millions primarily through videos on YouTube that are also shared on platforms like Facebook and Instagram. With the exception of the occasional help of an audio engineer for his podcast and one video editor, he operates largely alone. He told West Wing Playbook that although he has interviewed a number of major administration officials over the past year — including Klain and Transportation Secretary PETE BUTTIGIEG — he was pleasantly surprised when the White House agreed to his request for an interview with the president. “I’m not a journalist, I’m an activist trying to use my platform trying to counter a lot of right wing disinformation on these platforms,” he said. “I have my agenda and I think this White House is doing a good job trying to enact some of it. Our goals are aligned.” The timing of the interviews wasn’t an accident either. One person with knowledge of the thinking said the White House saw the interviews not just as a way to reach its hardcore supporters online, but a chance to further elevate and legitimize the profiles of successful Biden-friendly media figures. The 79-year-old Biden isn’t exactly a digital native. But he has listened to his Gen-Z granddaughters on digital strategy, as we reported last year. Still, the interviews represent a welcome change for liberal media organizations who have felt neglected by Biden’s team . During the first year of his administration, Biden didn’t conduct a single interview with a digital media organization, despite regular requests from them. And sources said that while HuffPost and BuzzFeed News have a standing joint interview request with Vice President KAMALA HARRIS’ office on the issue of voting rights, the veep so far hasn’t made any plans for a sit down. TOMMY VIETOR , the former Obama official who is also one of the founders of the liberal outlet Crooked Media, wrote last year that Biden’s team needed to develop closer ties with progressive media to build the ecosystem. “Give them scoops and access and grow their audiences and influence the way [Donald] Trump’s team has nurtured fringe rags like Newsmax and OAN,” he wrote. The Crooked team was impressed by the White House’s recent move. DAN PFEIFFER, a former senior Obama communications official, tweeted that the interview was a “very smart move from the White House comms shop.” Cohen told West Wing Playbook he was grateful for the access to Biden, and said that even though he vehemently disagreed with DONALD TRUMP and his media boosters on the right, the Biden White House was smart to take a page out of the former president's playbook by elevating ideologically aligned media figures like himself. "There's something to be said for the emergence of independent progressive media, people like myself, like Heather,” he said. “It's a testament to this burgeoning group of people who are trying to match what republicans have done on the right." TEXT US — Are you HEATHER COX RICHARDSON? We want to hear from you or at least get a shout out on your Substack. Or if you think we missed something in today’s edition, let us know and we may include it tomorrow. Email us at westwingtips@politico.com or you can text/Signal/Wickr/WhatsApp Alex at 8183240098 or Max at 7143455427. | 
