Max Fisher on Journalism, Explainers, and Launching The Bigger Picture

1. Reuniting: From Vox to New Press

Johnny Harris welcomes Max Fisher to discuss their reunion after nearly a decade apart. Harris explains how Fisher taught him journalism at Vox, where they worked together as a reporter and animator-turned-scriptwriter, eventually going their separate ways before reconnecting through Fisher's book, The Chaos Machine. Harris invites Fisher to launch a new channel under the New Press umbrella.

2. Origins of Curiosity in Journalism

Both Harris and Fisher describe their early motivations for journalism rooted in wanting to help people understand complex world events. Fisher was inspired by Steve Coll's Ghost Wars, which showed how historical context and interconnected global forces explain current events. Harris developed his visual approach partly due to dyslexia, learning that visualization was the key to his understanding.

3. The Birth of Explainer Journalism at Vox

Harris and Fisher recall creating the Syrian Civil War explainer in 2014-2015, a pivotal moment where they realized traditional journalism had gaps. They developed an innovative format using maps, icons for different actors, and tightly choreographed visuals paired with voiceover to show how complex conflicts actually unfold—reaching tens of millions of viewers.

4. Visual Storytelling as a Tool for Understanding

Harris explains how animation and visuals function as a fourth dimension of understanding, using color, motion, sound, and spatial relationships to teach. He describes learning Adobe Illustrator to redesign graphs and how maps became central to his work because they uniquely combine people, politics, and space in accessible ways.

5. The Power of the Creator-Led Model

Harris outlines New Press's philosophy: creator-driven content where journalists' curiosity drives the work, supported by institutional credibility standards but without imposing stylistic constraints. This differs from traditional assignment-based models and allows creators like Fisher to pursue their unique ways of processing information and exploring questions.

6. Authenticity and Trust in Modern Media

Both discuss the decline of trust in institutional media and the rise of creator authenticity as a currency. They note that while early vloggers and bloggers built trust through genuine, transparent communication, this authenticity can now be artificially manufactured. The solution is balancing human curiosity with institutional rigor—what New Press attempts to offer.

7. The State of News Consumption Today

Fisher describes finding news consumption distressing yet necessary, and feeling caught between needing to stay informed and being overwhelmed by the pace of events. He explains that audiences across the political spectrum feel scared about the world, and media needs to address this anxiety by helping people understand rather than inflaming outrage.

8. Introducing The Bigger Picture

Fisher previews his new show, which will ask urgent questions about daily life (Why is housing expensive? Why is dating weird now?) and trace them through unexpected connections to larger systems and events. The format mirrors his personal discovery process, using visual storytelling to surprise and enlighten viewers while helping them feel agency over their world.

9. The Algorithm, Platforms, and Hope

Harris and Fisher discuss YouTube's role in enabling rigorous journalism, acknowledging the algorithm as a constraint (like any boss) while noting that audiences genuinely want deep, explanatory content. Despite platforms priming for polarization and conspiracy, people are fatigued by outrage and crave enriching, informative storytelling.

10. Being Authentic on Camera

Harris reflects on remaining true to his unorthodox, chaotic, curious self in his videos—something he credits as essential to his work and possible only in digital media. Fisher expresses both excitement and terror at joining YouTube, grateful for the opportunity to do visual storytelling with Harris's team while bringing his journalistic rigor.