The day the legacy media died

Kurt Mahlburg
November 08, 2024 21 Reactions

“Today is a contest between the people who think the news is real and those who know it is not.”

This cheeky quip came from the pen of American author and cartoonist Scott Adams before any polling stations had closed on Tuesday. How right he turned out to be.

The 2024 US election was much more than a referendum on who Americans wanted to lead their country. It was a verdict on who they trust to interpret reality.

Just weeks before Americans went to the polls, Gallup revealed that trust in the mass media had reached historic lows. Just 32% of Americans told pollsters they trust the legacy news “a great deal” or “a fair amount” — a statistic that glowed in neon lights this week.

Though I won’t mourn the death of the legacy press, I here offer my eulogy — a funeral dirge, if you will — in the form of four post-election reflections.

First, Elon Musk’s purchase of Twitter.

It’s no exaggeration to say that Elon Musk was a deciding factor in Trump’s victory this week — whether his last-minute campaign blitz through the battleground state of Pennsylvania, his wildly popular Joe Rogan interview, or his exposé of the Democrats’ near success in making swing states permanent blue strongholds through mass immigration.

But the biggest boost from Musk came more than two years ago, when he bought the little blue bird, rebadged it as “X”, and then cleaned house, removing woke ideologues from executive roles and rooting out the influence of US intelligence agencies at the company.

The narrative that X is now a haven for racism and hate is, like most elite hyperventilating, a furphy. My experience of the app has not changed since 2022, except that Community Notes now holds liars accountable, and conservatives don’t get kicked off for speaking the truth.

And speak the truth they did throughout this election campaign. X was the only news platform that allowed open criticism of Kamala Harris, the only place Trump’s message made it past the narrative gatekeepers, and the only platform that, on balance, predicted a Trump win.

If X was still under the chokehold of Silicon Valley powerbrokers, it is doubtful Trump could have returned to the White House.

Second, the media’s narrative that Trump is Hitler.

For years, the corporate press has likened Donald Trump to Adolf Hitler, called him and his supporters fascists and Nazis, and warned that his re-election would spell the end of American democracy. 

Well, Hitler has been elected. So why aren’t these people packing their bags and fleeing the United States, as hundreds of thousands of Jews did Germany in the 1930s?

This is a serious question. But there is no serious answer — because the talking heads in the media were never serious in the first place.

I will take them seriously when they begin the flee the country, and not a second sooner.

 

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Third, the prospect of a national mental health crisis.

In a recent interview with Tucker Carlson, former ABC News political reporter Mark Halperin predicted that a Trump victory would likely cause “the greatest mental health crisis in the history of the country.”

Halperin is a middle-of-the-road kind of guy, and he was being genuinely serious, to the shock of Tucker’s audience.

The only nuance I would add to Halperin’s remark is that Trump’s victory per se won’t be to blame, if such a scenario materialises, but rather, the media’s framing of Trump’s victory for the American public.

The reality is that Trump will govern like he did last time. There will be bombastic remarks and a lack of decorum at times, but all the checks and balances of democracy will hold and he will leave office in 2028, likely handing Americans a stronger economy. And, much to the disappointment of pro-lifers, he will do little to stem the tide of abortions nationwide.

The problem is that people with Trump Derangement Syndrome don’t understand that this is how Trump’s presidency will play out. They really do think dystopia is now upon them.

I would direct any such people to this wise counsel from Alexandros Marinos:

If you voted Democrat and you are feeling that the election result is truly horrifying, do this one simple thing for your mental health:

Write down your fears of what might happen in the next 4 years on a piece of paper.

Re-read and check in on them every few months.

It will be a constant source of relief to you when you see that your fears will not, in fact, come true.

Then start asking why you had those fears in the first place and how you can prevent them from forming the next time.

And my final reflection: trust in the media going forward.

The legacy press has discredited itself this election cycle — whether through its cover-up of Joe Biden’s cognitive decline, its portrayal of the wildly unpopular Kamala Harris as America’s saviour, its naive interpretation of polling data, or its relentlessly negative coverage of Donald Trump, who in the end defied assassinations, impeachments and indictments to stage the greatest political comeback in American history.

The media was wrong about Tuesday. You’d be crazy to believe anything they tell you today.

In the wise words of venture capitalist David Sacks:

This is a bankruptcy moment for the legacy media. They shrieked Nazi, fascist, traitor, insurrectionist at the top of their lungs for years. The country didn’t believe it. Their spell is broken. Their credibility is destroyed. It’s a new dawn.

Take a moment to touch grass. Turn off the TV. Cancel your subscriptions. Question everything the talking heads say from now on.

Most of all, relax. Trump’s America will be just fine, and so will you.  

How do you feel about Trump’s win?  

Kurt Mahlburg is a writer and author, and an emerging Australian voice on culture and the Christian faith. He has a passion for both the philosophical and the personal, drawing on his background as a graduate architect, a primary school teacher, a missionary, and a young adult pastor.

Image credit: Pentagram and Wikipedia

 

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  • mrscracker
    Ask Peanut the Squirrel how terrifying those 9 words are Mr.Fedders.
    🐿
    Government has its proper duties and the individual has their rights.
  • Emberson Fedders
    commented 2024-11-13 17:37:43 +1100
    “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’”

    Unless that person is a police officer, a fire fighter, a nurse, a teacher, distributes free lunches, administers vaccines, looks after national parks, is part of the military, is part of the coast guard, is looking after the border, is ensuring environmental regulation in regards to river pollution is being adhered to, is fixing roads and bridges, is distributing aid to hurricane victims etc etc etc.

    Those lines by Reagan are trite. It’s a memorable quote, but it has no bearing on the things government does for the people.

    The irony is so may who voted Trump are also heavily reliant on the government they proclaim they want to be free of. Still, once Elon Musk has cut $2 trillion from the budget, people will realise how pro-government they are.
  • mrscracker
    I’m not a libertarian Mr. Fedders but many of us simply want to be left alone by the govt. You remember Ronald Reagan’s quote: “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are ‘I’m from the government and I’m here to help.’”
    I’d like the govt to take care of its proper duties & allow families to take care of theirs.
  • Emberson Fedders
    commented 2024-11-12 10:59:55 +1100
    Yes, that does make sense.

    The issue I have is the GOP is NOT the party of the working class. Name a single piece of legislation they passed they last time they held the White House that helped the working poor. I can’t think of anything either.

    The irony is, so many who vote Democrat don’t need the help of the government, and so many who vote republican, do.
  • mrscracker
    I think Mr. Fedders that the perception of truth can vary according to which narrative’s being advanced by the beholder. We have been living in an environment of competing narratives & it’s really time to seek some common ground.
    The Democrat Party following the election has berated itself for being so out of touch with the working class & pandering to its more affluent donor class. That used to describe the GOP back in the day. Nov. 5th seems an example that we should probably all be listening to each other better.
  • Emberson Fedders
    commented 2024-11-11 10:51:47 +1100
    But most commercial news networks still have some relationship with reality and the truth. Fox News does not. And that is to the detriment for the people who watch it.
  • mrscracker
    Mr. Fedders, when did commercial media have the public’s best interests as their primary concern? It’s an advertising medium.
  • Emberson Fedders
    commented 2024-11-11 00:29:01 +1100
    Yes, agreed Mrs Cracker, Fox News is mainstream. It does, however, perpetuate the same message to their viewers. Trust no other news source. Limit the information that is available to its viewers. Tell outright lies.

    This company does not have the interests of viewers at heart.
  • mrscracker
    Mr Fedders, FOX News is a part of the mainstream media also. All of the larger media outlets are parts of conglomerates with similar advertisers and similar older viewers/ readers. If you want to know who the audience is, just look at the commercials and advertising.
    Several years ago a study found that FOX and MSNBC had the same number of geriatric viewers. Younger people have moved on.
  • Emberson Fedders
    commented 2024-11-10 19:44:13 +1100
    What is the purpose of this article?

    Mahlburg Is one of many voices on the right who continuously attempt to undermine people’s faith in mainstream media. He’s determined that people turn away from these sources to get their news.

    But why? I am the first to concede that the legacy media does have flaws, indeed, what news organisation doesn’t? However, they are still far and away the best places to get information that is grounded in the real world. If you want to know what is going on in reality, then the mainstream media is where you go.

    But the right don’t want their followers to get information that is based on facts. Hence their love for Fox News and getting news from social media and podcasters. They want their followers to live in a fact free zone, because then these followers are far easier to manipulate.

    It always amazes me when you see interviews with Trump supporters and how little they know. How easily they have fallen for the most obvious lies (immigrants eating pets, the Democrats controlling the path of hurricanes). But this is all by design.

    Mahlburg, unwittingly I suspect, is promulgating the techniques of every autocratic government and cult. Control their followers access to information. Discredit every opposing voice. Reduce the range of information available to them.
  • David Page
    commented 2024-11-09 11:20:12 +1100
    Regular news outlets are being replaced by podcasters and independent media. Trump will have a time snuffing those out.
  • David Page
    commented 2024-11-09 10:21:27 +1100
    Tell me about it in six months.
  • mrscracker
    Mr. Peter, for at least the past 4 decades many folks in the States have taken what the Washington Post relates with a very large grain of salt. Perhaps those outside the US are unaware of that.

    I know if my rubbish is picked up or not. I only have to look in the bin. And we’ve had 4 years of a previous Trump administration so we’re not first-time buyers. We have a pretty good idea of what we’re getting.
    When we look to public officials for moral inspiration or demean the opposition candidate for their personal failings, we’re just setting ourselves up for a never-ending blaming & shaming virtue contest. That serves to distract voters from real issues like the economy, foreign wars, immigration, etc. It’s a game more & more of us choose not to play.
  • Juan Llor Baños
    commented 2024-11-09 06:17:59 +1100
    I totally agree with the article, except for the “prophecy” that pro-lifers will not see any change. We already experienced a massive change in favor of pro-lifers thanks to the Supreme Court’s verdict in 2022, thanks to the entry of the excellent judges promoted by Donald Trump. And if that were not enough, vetoing Kamala’s unscientific and disastrous program is a success in favor of life. So much has already been achieved!!
  • Peter Murphy
    commented 2024-11-09 04:36:40 +1100
    How VERY sad for you, MsCracker.
    I seek inspiration wherever I can find it, especially from the people elected to care for my welfare. But, each to their own, I guess.
    I have one further comment: even under your utilitarian approach to your elected officials, surely you would want someone who tells the truth.
    You wouldn’t want a liar, would you, MsCracker?
    As you know, you can’t trust a liar to do anything but lie! You wouldn’t know if your garbage was collected or if the country is bankrupt.

    By the way, the Washington Post reported, “Trump’s false or misleading claims total 30,573 over 4 years”
  • mrscracker
    Mr. Peter, I don’t vote for public servants to be inspired by them. They work for us & have a civic duty to perform. Just like the rubbish collector & the highway dept.
  • Peter Murphy
    commented 2024-11-09 02:30:10 +1100
    Ms Cracker, You have a very uninspiring understanding of the role of civil servants and their civic duties. Rather depressing!
  • mrscracker
    Mr. Peter, we’ve moved past the era where voters were manipulated by squeaky clean/happy family memes of politicians. Almost always those memes proved fictional. How many US presidents & politicians had affairs whilst in office, kept a mistress, chased after women, sired illegitimate children, owned slaves, stole public funds, profited from corruption, suffered from substance abuse, etc,? Politicians of every stripe are flawed human beings, just as we each are. It’s their policies & accomplishments in office we vote on, not their virtue or personality.

    Our leaders are public servants, not idols to be worshipped or cast down. They serve us at our will in similar ways our municipal rubbish collectors do. If my trash is picked up in a timely way & good service rendered I have no interest in what my rubbish man does at home or in his personal affairs. It’s his own business . If a public servant’s behavior crosses a line to make them ineligible to perform their duties & hold office, then we simply hire someone else. It not complicated.
    We can turn politics into a pseudo religion. Our politicians are simply there to serve us in a civic capacity. Their personal moral brokenness is something for them to sort out with their Creator, their families, & their spiritual directors.
  • Peter Murphy
    commented 2024-11-08 23:36:21 +1100
    You are so out of touch, Kurt.
    Honestly, I think I will delete my subscription to this far-right magazine!
    As I wrote in another post:
    Trump is a convicted felon, an adjudicated sexual abuser, an adulterer, and there is more to come from Epstein’s tapes.
    Do you understand that and what that means regarding his flawed character and decision making?
    We are talking about the President of the United States of America.
    With Trump’s background, he would not be eligible to find a job at McDonald’s, and yet you think he is fit to be President!
    Has the world gone mad?
    Maybe not the world, but definitely the USA has!
    And, Mercator is not far behind.
  • mrscracker
    Amen Mr. Kurt.
    And the folks who voted for Trump need to take a social media break also.
    The level of mental illness in the States is either at an all time high or perhaps we’re just better at diagnosing it. I lost a friend I’ve known since grade school. She went down a Trump Derangement Syndrome rabbit hole last year. Another friend became convinced powerful agencies are following her through her phone and she’s afraid to leave her home. On election night an acquaintance told me Google was interfering with their internet service for political reasons.
    Social media breeds conspiracy theories. The older sorts of media did too in their own way , just not as virally.
  • Kurt Mahlburg
    published this page in The Latest 2024-11-08 12:33:48 +1100

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