Ungar-Sargon began her career as a journalist and news analyst, reporting on topics such as the rights of
undocumented immigrants and liberal perspectives on Israel and
American Jews. In 2019, she discussed the significance of developing an American Jewish identity that is distinct from Israeli politics and aligned with civil and minority rights. She also served as managing editor at the wine and spirits media outlet VinePair. In 2017, Ungar-Sargon became the opinion editor at
The Forward. During her tenure, she faced criticism from some commentators on the
political left, who accused her of
weaponizing claims of antisemitism in a politically charged manner and of displaying a
right-wing and
Zionist editorial stance. Ungar-Sargon later contributed to various publications, including among others the
Daily Beast,
The Free Press,
Foreign Policy, the
Los Angeles Times,
The New Republic, the
New York Review of Books, the
New York Times,
Tablet, and the
Washington Post. She also appeared on various political shows including on the
Brian Lehrer Show,
MSNBC,
NBC, and
NPR, among other media outlets. She later became deputy opinion editor of
Newsweek, and co-hosted
The Debate podcast. In 2019, Ungar-Sargon publicly criticized U.S. Representative
Ilhan Omar on
Twitter, alleging that Omar had employed
antisemitic tropes by suggesting that financial motivations underlie U.S. support for Israel. In response, Omar stated that the
AIPAC influenced politicians. The exchange drew criticism of Omar's comments, leading to a public apology from the congresswoman. In 2020, Ungar-Sargon was selected for the 2021 Civil Society Fellowship, a program of the
Anti-Defamation League and the
Aspen Institute. In 2021, Ungar-Sargon published
Bad News: How Woke Media Is Undermining Democracy. The book argues that contemporary media has shifted from class-conscious reporting toward
race-conscious coverage, which she contends caters primarily to affluent, educated, and urban audiences. In 2024, she published ''Second Class: How the Elites Betrayed America's Working Men and Women'', which addresses issues related to the
working class in the United States and its relationship with the
elite. In the wake of the
Elon Musk salute controversy in January 2025, Ungar-Sargon said it appeared to be "a man with
Aspergers [
sic] exuberantly throwing his heart to the crowd", accusing the critics who described it as a
fascist salute (or
Sieg Heil salute) of "inventing outrage". On August 26, 2025, the
NewsNation channel announced that Ungar-Sargon would host a weekend afternoon talk show titled
Batya on Saturdays, starting on September 20, at 4 p.m. ET. == Political views ==