An interesting thing is happening in the new “Golden Age of America.” The mainstream media are quietly fading away.
Although former media giants have been losing their credibility, influence, and audiences for a quite a stretch of time, things really seem to have accelerated over the past couple of weeks.
Most recently, a string of mainstream anti-Trump media figures have given up their positions, including Jim Acosta, who exited CNN; Chuck Todd, who fled NBC News; Norah O’Donnell, who left CBS News; Andrea Mitchell, who vacated her MSNBC anchor chair; and Neil Cavuto, who waved goodbye to Fox News.
Thanks in large part to a whole lot of fake reporting, many left-leaning outlets had simply lost the public trust. That’s when the media vehicles of podcasting and streaming stepped up to provide a much-needed alternative to ABC, NBC, CBS, CNN, The New York Times, and The Washington Post.
And what happened is quite remarkable. New media figures that were accurate, informative, and real became more powerful and more influential than their media predecessors had been.
Acosta’s former employer generally brings in fewer than 400,000 viewers during prime-time hours. On the other hand, Joe Rogan, who hosts one of the top three podcasts in the world, averages 11 million viewers per episode.
As a result of the changing media landscape, leftist media outlets are no longer able to control the narrative.
One contributing factor in the newfound success of podcasts is the growth of Gen Z (ages 13 to 24) audiences.
Edison Research found that 47% of the Gen Z online population (an estimated 24 million Americans) are monthly podcast listeners.
Interestingly, podcasters played a significant role in the landslide victory of President Donald Trump. According to a Bloomberg report, a group of highly popular podcasters and streamers rose to become the new mainstream source of information for millions of young males.
In the report, nine podcasters were specifically cited: Adin Ross, Andrew Schulz, The Nelk Boys, Logan Paul, Joe Rogan, Lex Fridman, Patrick Bet-David, Shawn Ryan, and Theo Von.
In one impactful episode, Rogan interviewed then-GOP presidential nominee Trump during the final weeks of the 2024 presidential campaign. The podcast drew more than 50 million views on YouTube.
During the 2024 campaign cycle, nominees of both parties courted podcasters in an effort to seek support from voters who increasingly obtained their news information from nontraditional sources.
Vice President and Democrat presidential nominee Kamala Harris scheduled an interview with Alex Cooper for her “Call Her Daddy” podcast. Harris also sat with the hosts of the “All the Smoke” podcast for some Bay Area basketball talk.
Meanwhile, with the help of his son Barron’s media savvy, Trump focused on getting his MAGA message out via podcasts especially to young male voters.
It was inevitable that media changes would eventually come to White House press briefings and elsewhere in the government, including the Pentagon.
As part of the alternative media ecosystem, podcasters have been afforded seats at the table where they are permitted to ask questions at press briefings, much to the disdain of the establishment press.
At her second press briefing, John Ashbrook of the “Ruthless” podcast was allowed to ask White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt a question.
Ashbrook, a former campaign strategist to Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., sat in the “new media” seat among chairs that in prior administrations had been reserved for members of the White House press corps.
Leavitt called the Ruthless podcast “one of the most influential podcasts in America.”
Meanwhile over at the Pentagon, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth booted formerly prestigious media outlets from the Pentagon’s press offices to make room for new media organizations. The New York Times, NBC News, NPR, and Politico were told to evacuate their Pentagon office spaces by Valentine’s Day.
In their places, three new outlets were welcomed: the New York Post, One America News Network, and the Breitbart News Network.
As the new media kids on the block, podcasts have had an impressive beginning.
In my opinion, they’ve only just begun to wield their media power.
James Hirsen, J.D., M.A., in media psychology, is a New York Times best-selling author, media analyst, and law professor. Visit Newsmax TV Hollywood. Read James Hirsen’s Reports — More Here.
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