The media is dying
Throughout much of 2017 and 2018, MSNBC and a bunch of other cable news networks and media outlets dipped into what I like to call “storylines.” Every week, we’d get tidbits of news fed to us in something of a serial storyline format – some of it interesting or useful, such as the developments about Russian or Turkish interference in the 2016 election, but a lot of it grandiose and overblown – like the speculation about Donald Trump somehow suspending the Constitution over the course of a weekend or Michael Avenatti somehow being the guy who would take down the president. They hoped they could keep up the storylines even after Trump’s term by vilifying Democrats in the Senate – claiming that some magic wand could fix all their problems instantly and that every pundit on TV was smarter than Chuck Schumer.
Regardless of who held the reins of power in Congress or the White House, cable news wasn’t able to keep up this streak forever and hope for the same ratings they had back at the beginning of Trump’s presidency – and now they have to learn the hard way that the act is fading – something Sen. John Fetterman recently pointed out. If you’re constantly prone to freaking out, it’s on you – but do it long enough and people will tune you out, something he pointed out to a commentator on CNN.
This is the model that the media has been operating on and unfortunately, unless they figure out a new approach and fast, their ratings will only continue to plummet. In the meantime, the best course of action to take is to push back against things like Donald Trump’s appointees and their lack of qualifications, something that clearly is making an impact on the incoming Republican Senate, and is quickly weakening Trump’s support and his window to accomplish most of his to-do list by 2026.
James Sullivan is the assistant editor of Brain World Magazine and an advocate of science-based policy making