Audiences Are Turning Away from Mainstream and Left-Wing Media

New York: It looks like a lot of folks in America are checking out of mainstream media lately. After the election, many seem to be feeling a bit worn out by all the political news. You know, that whole news fatigue thing?

Especially on the left, people are feeling it more after Kamala Harris’ defeat. Newsrooms are scrambling to figure out how to win back their audiences as trust in the media takes a hit.

Fox News, MSNBC, and CNN had a good run in 2024, but after the election, viewership for MSNBC and CNN dropped significantly. It’s like liberals are licking their wounds and tuning out.

Even big names like The New York Times and CNN saw a drop in traffic after the election. Social media engagement also took a nosedive, with many turning to platforms like Facebook and X for their news fix.

Interestingly, the 2024 election didn’t draw as much attention as the last one. It seems people were less interested this time around, with traffic on election day being about a third of what it was in 2020.

On the left, the fatigue is real. A recent survey showed that two-thirds of American adults felt the need to cut back on political news. More Democrats (72%) felt this way compared to Republicans (59%).

Howard Polskin, who runs a newsletter focused on right-leaning media, noticed many of his readers unsubscribed after November 5. They just wanted to tune out the Trump news, saying it wasn’t just him but also outlets like The New York Times and The Atlantic.

As for the media landscape, it’s changing. MSNBC is facing uncertainty with new leadership, and CNN is still in the process of being revamped. Newsrooms are fighting for subscribers and ad dollars, leading to layoffs in some cases.

Some outlets are trying to adapt. The Washington Post is aiming to reach a broader audience, while the Los Angeles Times wants to bring in more moderate and conservative voices.

There’s a debate within newsrooms about whether to double down on political reporting or to ease up, as some worry the audience is just burned out.

The big question is whether this decline in viewership is just a temporary dip or something more serious. It’s common for numbers to drop after an election, but some signs show MSNBC might be recovering.

The New York Times is confident in its subscriber base, noting that readership has been stable despite the fatigue. They’re seeing more engagement overall, which is a good sign.

CNN is also downplaying its reliance on political news, pointing out that its top story of 2024 was about Sean “Diddy” Combs.

But established news outlets are facing stiff competition from social media influencers and podcasters. Almost half of adults under 30 are getting their political news from social media, which is double the number of those aged 30 to 49.

So, the challenge for traditional media is to show why they’re different from those creators who might just be bartenders with funny takes on TikTok. It’s a tough landscape out there!