Is Mainstream Media Dead? The Rise of Independent Voices
How social media platforms are replacing legacy news sources
A recent article about the mainstream media in Commentary magazine included a quote from an anonymous New York City TV executive: “A Trump victory means mainstream media is dead in its current form.”
Do you agree with that statement? If mainstream media is, in fact, dead, what will replace it? And what will that mean for how we make and consume news and opinion?
The waning subscriber numbers and influence of mainstream media
Any basic Google search on the declining influence and failing business model of mainstream media returns eye-popping statistics about the death of the industry.
The Pew Research Center in America also offers an annual report titled “The State of the News Media,” based on their frequent surveys and studies. In this report, the Center offers insights on the “shifting ways in which Americans seek out news and information, how news organizations get their revenue, and the resources available to American journalists.”
In the 2023 report, the Center found that “in 2022, estimated total U.S. daily newspaper circulation (print and digital combined) was 20.9 million…
