Can the Media Ever Regain Our Trust After Election 2024?
Both Democrats and Republicans have lost faith in national journalism. These four media critics weigh in on reestablishing its credibility with everyone.
Parker Molloy
contributor
Parker Molloy is the author of The Present Age, a newsletter about media, culture, and communication in a time of hyperconnectivity.
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The Real Swing Voters Aren’t Who You Think
The media's obsession with swing voters ignores the disillusioned progressives who could reshape the 2024 election—that is, if they decide to vote at all.
Trump’s Extremism Isn’t a Footnote—It’s the Story
The media has normalized Trump’s extreme, outrageous statements, which has made them appear mundane—and now that coverage has the potential to help the wannabe autocrat at the voting booths this November.
Legacy Media Tilts Two Ways: Center Right and Far Right
Which is why we need independent news outlets who serve their readers and not conservative billionaire investors—to continue to bring unbiased, top-notch reporting. And we need them now more than ever.
Media’s Lust for Conflict Is Failing the Public
In their depiction of Trump’s and Biden’s “markedly different” classified document situations, journalists are muddying the waters and confusing readers.
American Exceptionalism Is Not So Exceptional After All
We are a nation comprising more than 330 million people who've proven that we're capable of doing great things. So why have we adapted a sense of untenable, rugged individualism?
Access Journalism Is a Fool’s Errand
In an effort to keep them in good stead, reporters have coddled Republicans who claim that legacy media is biased against them. It's only served to push coverage further to the right.
Mainstream Media’s Rightward Lurch
"Liberal media” is a myth. Since Trump's presidency, mainstream news has embraced, employed, and laundered conservative propaganda, and it shows no signs of letting up.
Opinion Journalism Is Broken
The goal of newspapers is to inform the public. But increasingly, they are publishing opinion pieces as fact, misleading and confusing readers, and undermining their own agenda—and quite possibly, our democracy.