The morning after the election, I was talking with a friend who said something that made me pause: “The American people aren’t buying what the Dems are selling.” At the time I acknowledged the notion but filed it away for closer inspection, once the shock wore off.
Vice President Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party were selling hope and freedom, upholding the rule of law, saving democracy. What’s not to buy? With the benefit of lots of discussion, reading, watching, and thinking over the past 17 days, it became apparent that that analysis is incomplete.
It isn’t that the American people didn’t buy what Harris was selling; they didn’t know what she was selling. The increasingly powerful right-wing media championed her opponent’s message while distorting hers. And millions of Americans bought it.
As The New Republic editor Michael Tomasky wrote, “It wasn’t the economy. It wasn’t inflation, or anything else. It was how people perceive those things, which points to one overpowering answer.” The right-wing media now controls the agenda.
For those of us who grew up on a steady diet of truth-telling, it’s gut-wrenching to see this mega misinformation machine grow into a multi-headed monster.
Perhaps it shouldn’t come as a shock. Gallup says trust in the media is at an all-time low. The most trusted news source according to YouGov is … The Weather Channel. Couple that with exit polls showing people who consume a lot of news from traditional sources voted overwhelmingly for Harris.
If you only read The New York Times or watch CNN or so-called legacy networks such as CBS News, you might be surprised to learn there is a vast right-wing media ecosystem that goes well beyond Fox News. Founded in 1996, Fox is the granddaddy of the far-right media but has since been joined by Newsmax and One America News Network. This media universe also includes Sinclair Broadcasting, which owns hundreds of radio and TV stations — reaching 40% of the viewing public — and newspapers, including the recently purchased Baltimore Sun; iHeartMedia, which dominates right-wing talk radio and podcasting; Trinity and Bott Radio, two massive Christian broadcasting networks; social media platforms like Trump’s own Truth Social and X, owned by Trump bestie Elon Musk; and a multitude of hugely popular far-right podcasts.
Collectively, these various and varied media outlets have been feeding growing audiences a constant diet of disinformation for years. They have been fighting and winning an information war Democrats didn’t seem to know existed. The 2024 election may have been the inflection point when the right-wing media’s influence finally eclipsed the mainstream media. That is a major reason a convicted felon won with just under 50% of the popular vote.
The landscape is changing at light speed. Today, traditional media is not where most people get their news. Not so long ago you had to pick up a morning newspaper or turn on a television at a specific time to get news. Now “news” is available 24-7, from hundreds of sources, in tiny bite-sized portions, often without the benefit of context or even fact-checking. Right-wing outlets peddling half truths have learned how to navigate and thus dominate this new landscape.
It is important to note that this battle is being waged between right-leaning media and mainstream media. The combatants are not two ideologues. One group is pushing a hard-right agenda, and the other is striving to report and expose the truth. The social media landscape mirrors this reality. On the right, you have Truth Social and X. On the left, not much. In reaction to the misinformation rampant on its sites during the 2020 election, Meta-owned platforms like Facebook and Instagram removed most political content.
Donald Trump came along at exactly the right time to benefit from the rise of right-wing media. Had Fox News not existed, Trump’s descent on that golden escalator in 2015 might have ended as a political footnote. It has been a symbiotic relationship. Without Trump, Fox and its ilk would not have had the perfect person to drive their ascent.
Fast forward to the run-up to the 2024 election. Trump did not conduct one interview with a traditional media outlet — no local or national broadcast TV or newspapers. He stuck with his friends at Fox and like-minded podcasters like Joe Rogan. And it worked.
Some have suggested that legacy media is dead. Not so fast. Throwing the baby out with the bathwater just means everyone gets wet. All journalists, no matter where they post or publish or air, still need to hold those in power accountable. Now more than ever.
Case in point: Today, Matt Gaetz withdrew his name from consideration to become the U.S. attorney general. Since Trump announced this pick, reporters have been relentlessly covering the story, pushing for information to be released, talking to sources, and questioning senators who would vote on confirmation. The Fourth Estate may be diminished, but it is still alive and imperative to the health of our democracy.
Recognizing a problem is the first step to solving it. Democrats need to come to terms with the fact that the right-wing is cleaning its clock when it comes to messaging and communications. To combat this reality, they need to learn how to play by new rules. It pains me to say it, but for the survival of our country, Democrats need to do a better job reaching voters who don’t consume mainstream media, who don’t seek out political news. For journalists, we now have two jobs: reporting the news and combating the lies so many Americans are hearing. It’s a battle that must be joined, and quickly.
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Dan
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