Like many others, I found myself tuning into the 2025 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. I’ve always looked forward to their pink carpet, where celebrities, models, and influencers give interviews before the main event. Â
But this year, I couldn’t help but cringe at the interviews. Â
Stylist Law Roach and fashion journalist Zanna Rassi hosted the pink carpet pre-show. However, their interview techniques and overall questions were markedly different. Â
On one side, you had Rassi, who is an experienced journalist, fashion editor, and entrepreneur, conducting professional interviews that were to the point. On the other hand, you had Law Roach, a celebrity stylist, whose interviews were awkward and difficult to watch.Â
He called actress Amy Sedaris a nepotism baby. Told actress and model Indya Moore that they’re both from the same place–only for her to say she’s from the Bronx, while he’s from Chicago. Almost all his interviews felt rushed and awkward. Â
But it makes sense that he had poor interview techniques; he’s not a journalist. Â
Roach isn’t the first non-journalist to conduct interviews at major entertainment events. Other influencers such as Emma Chamberlain, Liza Koshy, and Chris Olsen have also done the same.Â
With the rise of social media, we’ve seen an increasing number of young adults turning to social media influencers for news and information. Â
With that, many companies and brands have turned to influencer marketing. As of February 2024, 26% of the world’s marketing agencies and brands have allocated more than 40% of their marketing budgets to influencer partnerships. Â
I understand that many brands rely on influencers to make their products popular with young people, but when it comes to reporting at important events, I believe that it should be a job left for a journalist. Â
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that employment of news analysts, reporters, and journalists is projected to decline 4 percent from 2024 to 2034. Â
I don’t think it’s fair that in an already shrinking job market, journalists now must essentially compete with influencers for jobs, especially entertainment journalists. Â
Journalists are trained to conduct research, interviews, and many other things, while influencers are simply trained to build engagement for a brand. When an influencer does the reporting, the public essentially loses out on real reporting. Â
I’m not saying that influencer journalists shouldn’t be allowed to conduct interviews at important events, but they shouldn’t be a priority over real journalists. As a student journalist, I know that many journalists dedicate their entire lives to having the opportunity to report at major events. It seems unfair to me that an influencer, with little to no experience in reporting, can simply take that away from them. Â
Overall, I hope more brands realize the importance of journalists in the entertainment world and that they cannot be replaced by influencers.