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Outlet profile

The Daily Beast

U.S. left-leaning (liberal/anti-Trump)

Owned byOwned by IAC Inc., the publicly traded holding company controlled by Barry Diller. Since 2024, CEO Ben Sherwood and chief creative and content officer Joanna Coles have held minority equity stakes. IAC remains the majority owner.
FundingAdvertising and reader revenue, including a paid membership tier. IAC has also subsidized the outlet over the years. Specific revenue and subsidy figures are not publicly reported.
On the administrationbroadly critical

Background

The Daily Beast launched in 2008 under editor Tina Brown, backed by Barry Diller's IAC. In 2010 it merged with Newsweek in a joint venture. IAC and the Newsweek owners later split the two, and Newsweek was sold in 2013. The Daily Beast stayed under IAC. Since then it has had several editors, including Noah Shachtman (2018–2021), who led its Trump–Russia coverage, which included reporting on Kremlin-linked propagandists later indicted in the Mueller probe. In April 2024 IAC named former Disney executive Ben Sherwood as CEO and publisher and Hearst veteran Joanna Coles as chief creative and content officer. Both received minority equity stakes while IAC kept majority control. The site mixes original reporting, opinion, and viral or celebrity content, and it has added paid subscriber features alongside advertising. Critics, including conservative outlets, describe it as partisan and sensational. Supporters point to its investigative and political scoops. Like other outlets, it has faced criticism over some editorial choices, such as a 2016 Olympics article that drew backlash and was edited. Its framing is consistently skeptical of Trump and Republican leaders, and its second-term coverage has continued that pattern.

Sources

  1. Barry Diller taps media vets to run The Daily Beast (Axios)
  2. Former Disney Exec Ben Sherwood, Joanna Coles To Run The Daily Beast In Strategic Partnership With Barry Diller's IAC (Deadline)
  3. Noah Shachtman has big plans for The Daily Beast (Digiday)
  4. The Daily Beast (Wikipedia)
  5. Tina Hearts Barry: Newsweek/Daily Beast Mash-Up Done (TheWrap)

Profile compiled 2026-10-12; refreshed when ownership, funding, or the administration changes.

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