Common Sense Over Spin: Why Americans Are Turning Away from Legacy Media

Facts are facts, and opinions are opinions. As the saying goes, people are entitled to their own
opinions, but not their facts. According to the numbers, the mainstream media is no longer
trusted with their facts, and millions disagree with their opinions.

For a very long time, the mainstream media acted very much as a gatekeeper for a tremendous
amount of the information consumed by the public. While an overall bias to one particular side has long
existed, there was also a journalistic ethic that kept reporting and advocacy largely separate.
As the data shows, Americans have overwhelmingly concluded they no longer can depend on
the mainstream media for anything resembling even-handed reporting. What should surprise
no one is they have already made their turn to alternative sources of information—the newer
world of digital content.

You do not need to have a degree in advanced statistical analysis to see the reality: the new
information ecosystem is alive and functioning, while the old one is dying something quicker
than a slow death. Americans, as measured by their behavior, have decided the problem is not
they are afraid of hearing the truth, but that the mainstream media is not providing it. One old
axiom is that when you find yourself in a hole, stop digging. Instead of taking that approach,
they mostly seem bent on doubling down.

Even where the business side of the equation has concluded it is time to reduce advocacy
journalism—Washington Post and Los Angeles Times—the response by both reporters
(supposedly without bias) and those working on the opinion-editorial side of things has been to
protest and/or quit in moral outrage. Meanwhile a Gallup poll reported just 27 percent of
independent voters trust the media, only 12 percent of Republicans.

This does not even begin to address the death of daily newspapers. Beyond the fact that only a
handful actually print all seven days, when is the last time you can remember reading the print
version of a daily newspaper? The only question for these people would be: Can you count?
A wise man once said: Follow the money. Fox is by far the number one cable news
broadcaster. Still, they are projected to lose advertising dollars compared to last year, going
from $1.03 billion in 2024 to $1.01 billion in 2025. These numbers are far worse for MSNBC
($568.9 million from $$639.6 million in 2024) and CNN ($499.1 million versus $563.9 million last
year).

The viewership numbers continue to plummet at an alarming rate for MSNBC and CNN. MSNBC
has lost 57 percent of its audience since the election, down to 576,000 viewers a day. CNN is
down 49 percent with 378,000 viewers. Even with a favorable bump, Fox, as mentioned, is
projected to lose advertising revenue, the mother’s milk for broadcast and cable.

Golly, where do you suppose all these people are going? They are going to alternative digital
options—social media, podcasts, digital “publications.” The reality is that this is simply
continuing a pattern that has been going on for some time. It says here that Donald Trump was
able to get his message to voters, because the campaign wisely directed time, attention, and
dollars to the current and real information ecosystem. Let’s see. Go on Joe Rogan with a daily
audience exceeding 11 million (where President Trump went) or The View with 2.5 million
(where the Vice President went and rejected the opportunity be on Rogan another date)? Bob,
I think I’ll take number one. Of course, The View is where the Vice President declared she could
not think of a thing she would have done differently than President Biden. Maybe she was
trying to limit the damage.

Let’s go the scoreboard. Podcasts enjoyed a 12 percent growth in advertising revenues in 2024,
up to $2.0 billion. It is supposed to be $2.6 billion in 2026. There are some within the industry
who have decided to take the leap from legacy linear platforms to digital platforms. Tucker
Carlson, Chris Wallace, and Neal Cavuto have concluded it is time to be present inside the
information system of today. It should be noted it is a world that has been changing at a
breathtaking rate. In 2016, more than three of four households had a cable subscription. By
2024, that number was closer to one-third. Something tells me they are not coming back.
The public, as demonstrated by these numbers, has reached a determination they can get
information without the help of the old gatekeepers. They now can engage with sources and
platforms they trust more than the legacy linear media.

You would think those within a profession witnessing its own demise would be more self-
reflective and committed to achieving the standard of being judged as fair and impartial by the
public, not exclusively themselves. Under the category of just not getting it, I will vote for
Symone Sanders, who last weekend assured us President Biden was cognitively ipsy pipsy fine.
Most of her other colleagues continued with their predictable poor defense for their behavior
on this topic. In their view, they were either misled (the other guy did it) or sorry after the fact
(oops, we’ll do better next time). Not a single one was even willing to say “I was very worried
about his cognitive abilities, but more worried about his opponent, so I hid the ball.”
The legacy linear media has limited content options. They have fixed schedules, choosing for
the viewer what they can watch. They need to protect their brand in that content they deliver.
The two choices would be these. They can continue to adhere to their moral superiority,
delivering what can only be called progressive advocacy. That translates to talking to
themselves and their declining audiences who agree with them.

On the other hand, they could commit to doing their best in being straightforward in their
reporting (you know, that old who, what, where, when, and how stuff), also providing opinions
from an array of individuals who do not all agree with each other. They can surely make known
their preferences, but anyone ought to be comfortable searching for the “news” on their
platform.

If they want to be viable, my choice this time would be number two. That is just common
sense.