By Dustin Rowles | News | January 17, 2025 |
During the first term of the incoming president, the news media saw an explosion of interest. Networks like CNN rode the chaos for massive ratings, and newspapers like The Washington Post saw their subscriber bases swell.
But let’s be clear about something: we didn’t watch, listen, and read just to stay informed. We thought it would matter. Sure, it’s good to stay informed, but that wasn’t the driving force. The media was critical of that administration, and it held their feet to the fire. While it didn’t remove Trump from office or stop him from remaking the Supreme Court, it got results: firings, blocked legislation, two impeachments, the Mueller report, and, ultimately, Trump’s electoral defeat. The media had teeth back then.
Now? That feeling — that legacy media wields any real power — is completely gone. Yesterday, Oliver Darcy reported that Jim Acosta, one of CNN’s most popular anchors and a relentless thorn in Trump’s side, is being shuffled off to a literal midnight time slot. Acosta’s morning show beats CNN’s prime-time ratings. He’s popular because he does the job the media is supposed to do: hold power accountable.
Meanwhile, The Washington Post, which sold itself to us in 2017 with “Democracy dies in darkness,”is now floating a new mission statement: “Riveting Storytelling for All of America.” Let weak-ass bullshit sink in. The Post and CNN, along with Joe Scarborough, Mika Brzezinski, and other media figures, are surrendering their power at the feet of the incoming administration.
Let me say this as bluntly as I can: This makes them completely fucking useless. Legacy media isn’t dying because of changing distribution models. It’s dying because it refuses to fight. Without power, it’s irrelevant.
And this is why audiences are fleeing. They’re running to people who know how to wield influence. Millions tune into a loudmouth conspiracy theorist not because he’s smart — God knows, he’s an idiot — but because Joe Rogan has power. He spent two years relentlessly attacking the Biden administration, two months dragging Kamala Harris through hell, and guess what? It worked.
Democrats, meanwhile, burned through $1.5 billion in two months on useless TV ads and chasing coverage from an establishment media that has lost its audience, its power, and its nerve. It’s the same reason I’ve been shouting about our obsession with how the NYT covers politics. Outside of those complaints, no one even reads the NYT anymore, except for Wordle.
We don’t have a Joe Rogan yet, but mark my words: we will. By the end of 2025, there will be half a dozen of them. Maybe it’ll be Ezra Klein or Jon Stewart. Maybe Alex Cooper will channel her frustration into something politically meaningful, or Kylie Kelce, Jen Rubin, Kara Swisher, Kumail Nanjiani, or someone completely new. Someone will leave legacy media, start their own thing, and catch fire. There is an audience. We’re just waiting for the right person to come along, and it’s not the goddamn Pod Save America bros, either.
But it won’t be CNN, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, or any other outlet that has sold out its power to protect its billionaire owners’ assets. Politically, 2025 is going to be a brutal year. But we’ll adapt. We’ll evolve. We’ll figure it out. And when we do, we’ll be stronger, sharper, and ready to crush Republicans in 2026 and 2028. Count on it.