Carlos Maza

Carlos Maza is an American journalist, video producer, and media critic known for creating and hosting "Strikethrough," a video series for Vox that examined journalism and media coverage during the Trump administration. Maza graduated from Wake Forest University with a Bachelor of Arts in political science and developed a career focused on media watchdog journalism and video storytelling.

Before joining Vox, Maza worked at Media Matters for America as a research fellow, where he created a video series on media criticism and served as the LGBT Program Director, concentrating on combating misinformation and advocating for LGBTQ equality. He conducted undercover reporting at right-wing and anti-LGBT events, including a student conference organized by the National Organization for Marriage. Maza has appeared on national television programs such as MSNBC's "All In with Chris Hayes" and "Melissa Harris-Perry" to discuss his research and media coverage of LGBTQ issues. His writing has also appeared in The Washington Post and The Huffington Post.

At Vox, Maza proposed and launched "Strikethrough," producing and hosting the series. The video series garnered 80 million views across Facebook and YouTube, utilizing Vox's explainer approach to address topics such as YouTube's handling of extreme creators, the effectiveness of White House press briefings, and the challenges of fact-checking political figures. Among the "Strikethrough" videos, "Comedians have figured out the trick to covering Trump" became the most viewed, with 27.5 million views across platforms. Maza's work aimed to combine research-based media criticism with elements of comedy and pop culture, providing audiences with tools to better understand news and media narratives.

Maza's public profile increased when he became the subject of a high-profile online harassment controversy. YouTube investigated conservative commentator Steven Crowder for using racist and homophobic slurs against Maza in videos responding to "Strikethrough." Maza reported that Crowder's audience engaged in doxxing and harassment as a result. YouTube stated that Crowder's language was hurtful but did not violate its policies. The incident sparked national discussion about platform accountability and the protection of LGBTQ creators online.

Following the cancellation of "Strikethrough," Maza left Vox and launched an independent media critique channel on YouTube, where he produces videos on topics such as propaganda, fascism, and corporate media. His video essay "The 'Pay For It' Scam" was nominated for Sight and Sound's video essay poll, highlighting his ongoing influence in digital media criticism. Throughout his career, Maza has consistently challenged audiences to think critically about the media landscape.