Got a public education and a college degree and is now and expert on (insert subject). Lord help this society.

Interesting. About 10 years or so ago, one of the TV stations submitted a list of 100 of the most influential people in America. They asked viewers to vote each week. Each week, based on the voting, they narrowed the field down after the first week to 50, the next week to 25, the next week to 10, the next week to 5. Finally they voted for the most most outstanding American from those last 5. I recall some of the finalists were Washington, Lincoln, Reagan, Franklin, and one other I don't recall. The winner was Lincoln.

Well, think.about how ignorant the average American is.
Then realize that 50% are ignernter...

And words are important. Influential does not necessarily equate to outstanding. And neither necessarily implies good. Genghis Khan was both influential and outstanding. Good is up for debate.

Most surveys still rank Wilson and teddy Roosevelt as the best presidents despite being the two worst until recently

Of course people can gain knowledge from sources other than college. Watching some guy on YouTube may give a person knowledge--but that's all he gets, knowledge of some guy doing a video on YouTube. The viewer gains no expertise. The viewer gains no deep understanding of the subject matter. YouTube is not "research" and it is not an education. Same for TikTok, etc.

I know plenty of people who are experts in subjects and they never took a class on them. They however spent years studying the subjects--including, brace yourselves, reading actual books.

The podcaster is a idiot trying to be a Paul Harvey or Howard Stern

Okay then bottom fee..., coucilor, how many books, articles, and research do you do?

And if you care to ask, son of an english major high school librarian who was reading by kindergarten as was my two brothers. All three of us in advanced placement throughout k-12. So it's true reading is fundamental. BTW as a son of the south of my generation I and all of my peers fought and refought the recent unpleasantness ad infinitim from childhood on. Shelby Foote was not an abberation as most all southerners of a certain age know their history.

And if you had bothered to watch rather than knee jerk you could see sources cited for you or any other to go read for yourself.