Trump's Victory Cues Legacy Media’s Swan Song: A Funeral for Gatekeepers

Death of the 6 O’clock Spin: Rise of Direct-to-Audience Media

Legacy media, once the towering guardian of public discourse, has become the ghost in the news machine. Trump’s 2024 win — whether you cheered, jeered, or just turned off your TV — was the final breath of an era. He didn’t need prime-time TV or a Sunday night exclusive; instead, he sidestepped traditional outlets, taking his message directly to the people on podcasts, independent platforms, and the unfiltered free-speech platform Musk's X.

This campaign, turbocharged by people like Joe Rogan, Alex Berenson, Matt Taibbi, Michael Shellenberger, Lex Fridman, James O'Keefe’s investigations, and the fast-growing hobby and citizen journalists publishing on platforms like Substack, delivered the message without a middleman and with a refreshing absence of pre-approved talking points.