Elizabeth Spiers is a left-of-center journalist and media consultant who is the founder of The Insurrection, a political consulting firm that specializes in polling and digital strategies.

Previously, Elizabeth Spiers served as the editor-in-chief of the New York Observer, founded financial news site Dealbreaker, and was the founding editor of Gawker. Spiers also teaches a graduate-level course on media innovation at New York University’s (NYU) Journalism Institute.

In 2023, Elizabeth Spiers along with former Vox executive editor and vice president Allison Rockey were tapped by Democratic operative Arkadi Gerney for a report on how major left-of-center donors could fund a new nonprofit media network.

Journalism Career

Elizabeth Spiers worked as the editor-in-chief of the New York Observer; founded Breaking Media, which publishes financial news site Dealbreaker, legal news outlet AboveTheLaw; and fashion-industry news outlet Fashionista; and was the founding editor of Gawker. ^{1 2}

Spiers contributes to the New York Times’ opinion section, and co-hosts Slate’s economics podcast Slate Money. Spiers also teaches a graduate-level course on media innovation at New York University’s (NYU) Journalism Institute. ³ Previously she taught in the School of Visual Art’s (SVA) Design Research MFA program for six years. She has sat or sits on the advisory boards of Flavorpill Media, Counsyl, OfAKind, Selfie, Clade, and Wall Street Cheat Sheet. ⁴

Arkadi Gerney Report

In 2023, Semafor reported that former executive director of the Hub Project Arkadi Gerney produced a report on how major left-of-center donors could fund a new nonprofit media network. Spiers was consulted on developing the report. ⁵

The 85-page report, titled Analysis of the Changing U.S. News Media Landscape and Strategies Toward Delivering Civic Value, was written to inform a group of left-of-center political leaders in Washington, D.C., about the dire state of left-leaning media in the wake of left-wing digital outlets geared toward young people like Vice and BuzzFeed News falling into decline. The report called on liberal philanthropists to “diver[t] a share of the investment that’s going into exclusively cause-funded nonprofits towards sponsored content and into direct investment in hybrid and for-profit enterprises with large audiences.” It also argued that money typically spent on campaign ads should be used to grow media start-ups. ⁶

Sophie Elliott, former manager at the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence; Arkadi Gerney, founder and former executive director of the Hub Project; Tim Hogan, former communications director for Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s (D-MN) 2020 presidential campaign; and Sarah Knight, former director of George Soros’s Open Society Foundation’s (OSF) democracy and media initiatives were the credited authors of the report. Spiers, former Vox executive editor and vice president Allison Rockey, and corporate content strategist Jonathan Smith were reportedly consulted on its development. ⁷

Consulting

Spiers founded political consulting firm The Insurrection, which utilizes data to advise on polling, digital strategy, and messaging. ⁸ As a consultant, Spiers has worked with Casper, b5Media, Conde Nast, McGarryBowen, and Flavorpill, helping them launch or develop new media products. ⁹

1. “Analysis of the Changing U.S. News Media Landscape.” Media Landscape Report. Accessed July 4, 2023. https://www.medialandscapereport.org/uploads/1/4/6/0/146099971/media_landscape_report.pdf
2. “The Insurrection.” The Insurrection. Accessed July 5, 2023. https://www.theinsurrection.com/.
3. “Analysis of the Changing U.S. News Media Landscape.” Media Landscape Report. Accessed July 4, 2023. https://www.medialandscapereport.org/uploads/1/4/6/0/146099971/media_landscape_report.pdf
4. “About.” Elizbeth Spiers. Accessed July 5, 2023. https://www.elizabethspiers.com/about.
5. Tani, Max. “Liberal activists want to buy your local TV station.” Semafor, June 18, 2023. Accessed July 4, 2023. https://www.semafor.com/article/06/18/2023/liberal-activists-want-to-buy-your-local-tv-station.
6. Tani, Max. “Liberal activists want to buy your local TV station.” Semafor, June 18, 2023. Accessed July 4, 2023. https://www.semafor.com/article/06/18/2023/liberal-activists-want-to-buy-your-local-tv-station.
7. “Analysis of the Changing U.S. News Media Landscape.” Media Landscape Report. Accessed July 4, 2023. https://www.medialandscapereport.org/uploads/1/4/6/0/146099971/media_landscape_report.pdf.
8. “About.” Elizbeth Spiers. Accessed July 5, 2023. https://www.elizabethspiers.com/about.
9. About.” Elizbeth Spiers. Accessed July 5, 2023. https://www.elizabethspiers.com/about.