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. Subscribe to VICE News here: http://bit.ly/Subscribe-to-VICE-News 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 vary. Rates may vary. #VICENews #news #sshq Check out VICE News for more: http://vicenews.com Follow VICE News here: TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@vicenews?lang=en Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vicenews Twitter: https://twitter.com/vicenews Instagram: http://instagram.com/vicenews More videos from the VICE network: https://www.fb.com/vicevideo ============================= Chapters 00:00 Welcome, Aaron Parnas! 02:36 Trauma as an Origin 09:57 “Trump First” Experience 12:00 How Aaron Defined his Future 14:34 How Aaron gets the News 16:03 The Price of Journalism 18:56 Mainstream Media and Ukraine 23:38 War and the Narratives for Cloud 26:41 How Social Media is Changing News 29:03 The Strategy Behind the Approach to the Audience 32:07 The Lack of Understanding of GeoPolitics 33:58 The Greatest Gaslight in Media 36:21 The Turn of Not Return 41:09 How Important is the Speed in Journalism 43:07 What Influence Means Nowadays 46:45 The Bubble of Social Media 49:16 Living in a Divided Society 52:10 Final Thoughts ============================= How Social Media Rewired Journalism ft. Aaron Parnas | Shane Smith Has Questions https://youtu.be/AFfY5A46kLo