Bernie Sanders adds streaming video to 'corporate media' in California push

Bernie Sanders has no love for the "corporate media" — in fact, his contempt is almost Cruzian in its disdain.

It's no surprise, then, that the Vermont Senator is tapping into alternative forms of media to reach voters — particularly younger voters — in California as the June 7 Democratic primary approaches. The latest poll shows Sanders in a dead heat with Hillary Clinton.

Sanders is the first presidential candidate to appear on Revolt TV, the music- and pop-culture-focused network founded by Sean "Diddy" Combs. Today's appearance was billed as a "social media conversation" that was simultaneously livestreamed and carried on the television network.

The candidate opened his appearance with a long, uninterrupted stump speech, then answered questions posed on social media (#REVOLT2Vote) by USC students and from host Christopher Prudhome of Vote America Now, a group whose mission is to motivate millennials to vote.

Sanders plans to sit down Friday with The Young Turks, a livestreamed show with a segment devoted to American politics. This marks the second time Sanders agreed to an extensive interview with host Cenk Uygur, a friendly interlocutor who has introduced Sanders at several California rallies.

The insurgent Democratic candidate Sanders is walking a difficult path when it comes to corporate media — using forums like Revolt TV to criticize the editorial choices of the news operations while simultaneously calling on one of the major networks to broadcast a proposed debate with the Republican party's presumptive nominee, Donald Trump.

Sanders's conflicted posture was on display throughout this week's swing through Southern California, where he slammed the Walt Disney Co. over pay and working conditions in a campaign stop in Anaheim, the home of Disneyland.

Disney Chief Executive Bob Iger used his personal Facebook page to fire back at Sanders, posting, "We created 11,000 new jobs at Disneyland in the past decade ... How many jobs have you created?"

Tonight, the same media company will feature Sanders as a guest on its ABC network late-night talk show, "Jimmy Kimmel Live."

This article originally appeared on Recode.net.

Will you support Vox’s explanatory journalism?

Most news outlets make their money through advertising or subscriptions. But when it comes to what we’re trying to do at Vox, there are a couple of big issues with relying on ads and subscriptions to keep the lights on:

First, advertising dollars go up and down with the economy. We often only know a few months out what our advertising revenue will be, which makes it hard to plan ahead.

Second, we’re not in the subscriptions business. Vox is here to help everyone understand the complex issues shaping the world — not just the people who can afford to pay for a subscription. We believe that’s an important part of building a more equal society. And we can’t do that if we have a paywall.

So even though advertising is still our biggest source of revenue, we also seek grants and reader support. (And no matter how our work is funded, we have strict guidelines on editorial independence.)

If you also believe that everyone deserves access to trusted high-quality information, will you make a gift to Vox today? Any amount helps.

One-Time Monthly Annual

$5/month

$10/month

$25/month

$50/month

Other

$

Yes, I'll give $5/month

Yes, I'll give $5/month

We accept credit card, Apple Pay, and Google Pay. You can also contribute via