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On Saturday, in downtown Washington, DC, six thousand people descended on Crooked Con, a political conference hosted by Crooked Media—the company founded by former Obama administration staffers Jon Favreau, Jon Lovett, and Tommy Vietor, best known for Pod Save America . Hanging from the ceiling was a blue sign: “The bigger the tent, the closer to God.” Jubilation was in the air, Beyoncé and Chappell Roan on the playlist. A ticket cost two hundred bucks. Between panels (​​“Making Liberalism Cool Again,” “From Anti-Trump to Pro-Something”) and smoothies in the MS Now Lounge, speakers made their way to the Take Center, where event organizers encouraged journalists and creators to produce and publish à la minute. Phone tripods were set up in front of branded Crooked Media backdrops that read “Freedom and Content for All.”

Barrett Adair, a political activist and social media content creator, spent most of her day at the Take Center.…