December 2020 Memo – How 2020 Further Splintered the Media
1 Million – Nightly Viewers for Newsmax TV
Newsmax TV’s top-rated show has recently drawn as many as a million viewers a night, up from about 100,000, as conservatives grow frustrated with Fox News and seek other news sources.
President Donald Trump has stoked these frustrations, encouraging supporters to tune into insurgent Fox competitors like Newsmax and One America News Network. Fox has responded by taking him on more directly, launching a new slogan, “Standing Up for What’s Right.”
In mid-November, Newsmax became the most visited right-leaning news site, overtaking Breitbart. Metrics also showed Trump-friendly Gateway Pundit eating into the market share for right-leaning mainstays.
A poll released by Newsmax this week showed that 20% of respondents regularly watched Newsmax TV – about half the regular viewership of Fox News.
Fox News, typically dominant in the cable news space, is seeing ratings slip as right-leaning viewers go elsewhere. In November 2020, “Fox and Friends” drew fewer viewers than MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” for the first time in 19 years.
Trump himself is reportedly considering launching a digital media company to “take on Fox News.”
WHAT IT MEANS: The ascendant, populist-right wing of the GOP is reflected in the growth of populist-right news media. Trump-aligned news outlets are eating market share from establishment conservative outlets, with some – like the Weekly Standard – disappearing altogether. In the past, partisan news sources aligned with the party out of power have experienced rapid growth. Even after Trump leaves office, outlets like Newsmax and Breitbart will play a significant role in shaping the narrative going forward. Republicans hoping to hold the line against progressive policies will have to understand what these outlets are saying – and why.
250,000 – Substack Subscriptions
Left-leaning journalists and editors are leaving prestigious media outlets as those newsrooms continue to become less ideologically and politically diverse.
Substack, an increasingly popular newsletter platform for journalists, now countsa quarter of a million subscribers, with some of its most popular offerings coming from well-known left-of-center writers who just recently worked for major news outlets: Glenn Greenwald, Andrew Sullivan, Matt Taibbi, Jedd Legum, and Matthew Yglesias, among them.
WHAT IT MEANS: Even if marquee center-left outlets increasingly resemble an echo chamber, prominent figures are able to establish their own channels. However, while Democrats will control the White House and at least one chamber of Congress, some of their once-largest voices will be attempting to shape debates from smaller platforms.
#1 – Parler’s Rank in the App Store After Election Day
Conservatives, claiming online bias and censorship, are beginning to move away from major social media platforms. Parler, branded as a “‘non-biased free speech’ alternative to Twitter,” has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of this migration.
Pew Research Center has found steady growth in the number of Americans getting their news from social media, and a University of Virginia study found a correlation between overall social media usage among conservatives and those users reading more conservative sites than they normally do.
Earlier this year, the Knight Foundation found that a majority of Americans believe there is bias in the news sourcethey rely on most often, further proof that viewers and readers are inclined to seek information sources that align with their existing beliefs. “Americans have rarely been as polarized as they are today,” according to Pew.
WHAT IT MEANS: America is polarized, and so is the information we consume. Coalition-building is critical to driving (or stopping) policy changes in divided government. Businesses and other stakeholders will have to leverage numerous, diverse streams of information to reach the audiences required to drive their agendas, especially if Republicans hold the Senate.
4 – Average Polling Error of Pre-Election Polls
Pew Research compiled the average error of 12 battleground state polls, as well as national surveys, and found that both categories overestimated Democratic performance by about four points.
The flawed data created false perceptions about a number of key races, including the presidential, and skewed expectations heading into Election Day. The undeniable tilt in Democrats’ favor only feeds broader skepticism of the media and other traditional barometers of public opinion.
RealClearPolitics averages showed competitive races in states Trump carried handily (Ohio, Texas, Iowa) and sizeable leads for Biden in states that were ultimately much closer than expected (Wisconsin, Michigan).
The New York Times noted that neither Sen. Susan Collins nor Sen. Thom Tillis led in a single public poll throughout the campaign – and both won re-election.
Some news organizations may reconsider allocating resources to these costly surveys.
When the Des Moines Register released its final Iowa poll showing Trump leading by seven points, it was treated by many as an outlier rather than an early sign of continued Trump strength in states he won four years ago.
“There are many reasons to doubt that this Iowa poll is really telling us all that much,” CNN said. “While Selzer is a fantastic pollster, every pollster has the occasional outlier.”
WHAT IT MEANS: For two presidential election cycles in a row, public polling has produced unreliable results and driven faulty narratives across the media landscape. Structural deficiencies in public polling make reliable data more important than ever. Anyone who wants to move public opinion will first have to make sure they are making the correct assumptions about their audiences.
60 – Newsrooms Closed Since the Pandemic Began
The economic fallout of COVID-19 has hit the news industry hard. Furloughs, consolidations, and layoffs have swept through newsrooms that were already facing significant financial challenges before the pandemic slashed revenue.
The pandemic accelerated a well-documented industry trend. Almost 1,800 newspapers have closed since 2004.
In response to this decline, companies like Google and Facebook have invested in initiatives to support local news and stem the rising tide of layoffs.
Newsroom layoffs have totaled at least11,000 in 2020, with data for the second half of the year still being compiled.
WHAT IT MEANS: As Americans continue to splinter politically and consume increasingly polarized news and information, mainstream news outlets continue their decline. Information-sharing through social media is as popular as ever, and digital outlets are providing new platforms to powerful voices, but traditional and local newsrooms are playing a diminishing role in the information landscape.
1 Million – Nightly Viewers for Newsmax TV
Newsmax TV’s top-rated show has recently drawn as many as a million viewers a night, up from about 100,000, as conservatives grow frustrated with Fox News and seek other news sources.
President Donald Trump has stoked these frustrations, encouraging supporters to tune into insurgent Fox competitors like Newsmax and One America News Network. Fox has responded by taking him on more directly, launching a new slogan, “Standing Up for What’s Right.”
In mid-November, Newsmax became the most visited right-leaning news site, overtaking Breitbart. Metrics also showed Trump-friendly Gateway Pundit eating into the market share for right-leaning mainstays.
A poll released by Newsmax this week showed that 20% of respondents regularly watched Newsmax TV – about half the regular viewership of Fox News.
Fox News, typically dominant in the cable news space, is seeing ratings slip as right-leaning viewers go elsewhere. In November 2020, “Fox and Friends” drew fewer viewers than MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” for the first time in 19 years.
Trump himself is reportedly considering launching a digital media company to “take on Fox News.”
WHAT IT MEANS: The ascendant, populist-right wing of the GOP is reflected in the growth of populist-right news media. Trump-aligned news outlets are eating market share from establishment conservative outlets, with some – like the Weekly Standard – disappearing altogether. In the past, partisan news sources aligned with the party out of power have experienced rapid growth. Even after Trump leaves office, outlets like Newsmax and Breitbart will play a significant role in shaping the narrative going forward. Republicans hoping to hold the line against progressive policies will have to understand what these outlets are saying – and why.
250,000 – Substack Subscriptions
Left-leaning journalists and editors are leaving prestigious media outlets as those newsrooms continue to become less ideologically and politically diverse.
Substack, an increasingly popular newsletter platform for journalists, now countsa quarter of a million subscribers, with some of its most popular offerings coming from well-known left-of-center writers who just recently worked for major news outlets: Glenn Greenwald, Andrew Sullivan, Matt Taibbi, Jedd Legum, and Matthew Yglesias, among them.
WHAT IT MEANS: Even if marquee center-left outlets increasingly resemble an echo chamber, prominent figures are able to establish their own channels. However, while Democrats will control the White House and at least one chamber of Congress, some of their once-largest voices will be attempting to shape debates from smaller platforms.
#1 – Parler’s Rank in the App Store After Election Day
Conservatives, claiming online bias and censorship, are beginning to move away from major social media platforms. Parler, branded as a “‘non-biased free speech’ alternative to Twitter,” has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of this migration.
Pew Research Center has found steady growth in the number of Americans getting their news from social media, and a University of Virginia study found a correlation between overall social media usage among conservatives and those users reading more conservative sites than they normally do.
Earlier this year, the Knight Foundation found that a majority of Americans believe there is bias in the news sourcethey rely on most often, further proof that viewers and readers are inclined to seek information sources that align with their existing beliefs. “Americans have rarely been as polarized as they are today,” according to Pew.
WHAT IT MEANS: America is polarized, and so is the information we consume. Coalition-building is critical to driving (or stopping) policy changes in divided government. Businesses and other stakeholders will have to leverage numerous, diverse streams of information to reach the audiences required to drive their agendas, especially if Republicans hold the Senate.
4 – Average Polling Error of Pre-Election Polls
Pew Research compiled the average error of 12 battleground state polls, as well as national surveys, and found that both categories overestimated Democratic performance by about four points.
The flawed data created false perceptions about a number of key races, including the presidential, and skewed expectations heading into Election Day. The undeniable tilt in Democrats’ favor only feeds broader skepticism of the media and other traditional barometers of public opinion.
RealClearPolitics averages showed competitive races in states Trump carried handily (Ohio, Texas, Iowa) and sizeable leads for Biden in states that were ultimately much closer than expected (Wisconsin, Michigan).
The New York Times noted that neither Sen. Susan Collins nor Sen. Thom Tillis led in a single public poll throughout the campaign – and both won re-election.
Some news organizations may reconsider allocating resources to these costly surveys.
When the Des Moines Register released its final Iowa poll showing Trump leading by seven points, it was treated by many as an outlier rather than an early sign of continued Trump strength in states he won four years ago.
“There are many reasons to doubt that this Iowa poll is really telling us all that much,” CNN said. “While Selzer is a fantastic pollster, every pollster has the occasional outlier.”
WHAT IT MEANS: For two presidential election cycles in a row, public polling has produced unreliable results and driven faulty narratives across the media landscape. Structural deficiencies in public polling make reliable data more important than ever. Anyone who wants to move public opinion will first have to make sure they are making the correct assumptions about their audiences.
60 – Newsrooms Closed Since the Pandemic Began
The economic fallout of COVID-19 has hit the news industry hard. Furloughs, consolidations, and layoffs have swept through newsrooms that were already facing significant financial challenges before the pandemic slashed revenue.
The pandemic accelerated a well-documented industry trend. Almost 1,800 newspapers have closed since 2004.
In response to this decline, companies like Google and Facebook have invested in initiatives to support local news and stem the rising tide of layoffs.
Newsroom layoffs have totaled at least11,000 in 2020, with data for the second half of the year still being compiled.
WHAT IT MEANS: As Americans continue to splinter politically and consume increasingly polarized news and information, mainstream news outlets continue their decline. Information-sharing through social media is as popular as ever, and digital outlets are providing new platforms to powerful voices, but traditional and local newsrooms are playing a diminishing role in the information landscape.
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December 2020 Memo – How 2020 Further Splintered the Media
1 Million – Nightly Viewers for Newsmax TV
Newsmax TV’s top-rated show has recently drawn as many as a million viewers a night, up from about 100,000, as conservatives grow frustrated with Fox News and seek other news sources.
In mid-November, Newsmax became the most visited right-leaning news site, overtaking Breitbart. Metrics also showed Trump-friendly Gateway Pundit eating into the market share for right-leaning mainstays.
Trump himself is reportedly considering launching a digital media company to “take on Fox News.”
250,000 – Substack Subscriptions
Left-leaning journalists and editors are leaving prestigious media outlets as those newsrooms continue to become less ideologically and politically diverse.
Substack, an increasingly popular newsletter platform for journalists, now counts a quarter of a million subscribers, with some of its most popular offerings coming from well-known left-of-center writers who just recently worked for major news outlets: Glenn Greenwald, Andrew Sullivan, Matt Taibbi, Jedd Legum, and Matthew Yglesias, among them.
#1 – Parler’s Rank in the App Store After Election Day
Conservatives, claiming online bias and censorship, are beginning to move away from major social media platforms. Parler, branded as a “‘non-biased free speech’ alternative to Twitter,” has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of this migration.
Pew Research Center has found steady growth in the number of Americans getting their news from social media, and a University of Virginia study found a correlation between overall social media usage among conservatives and those users reading more conservative sites than they normally do.
Earlier this year, the Knight Foundation found that a majority of Americans believe there is bias in the news source they rely on most often, further proof that viewers and readers are inclined to seek information sources that align with their existing beliefs. “Americans have rarely been as polarized as they are today,” according to Pew.
4 – Average Polling Error of Pre-Election Polls
Pew Research compiled the average error of 12 battleground state polls, as well as national surveys, and found that both categories overestimated Democratic performance by about four points.
The flawed data created false perceptions about a number of key races, including the presidential, and skewed expectations heading into Election Day. The undeniable tilt in Democrats’ favor only feeds broader skepticism of the media and other traditional barometers of public opinion.
When the Des Moines Register released its final Iowa poll showing Trump leading by seven points, it was treated by many as an outlier rather than an early sign of continued Trump strength in states he won four years ago.
60 – Newsrooms Closed Since the Pandemic Began
The economic fallout of COVID-19 has hit the news industry hard. Furloughs, consolidations, and layoffs have swept through newsrooms that were already facing significant financial challenges before the pandemic slashed revenue.
Newsroom layoffs have totaled at least 11,000 in 2020, with data for the second half of the year still being compiled.
1 Million – Nightly Viewers for Newsmax TV
Newsmax TV’s top-rated show has recently drawn as many as a million viewers a night, up from about 100,000, as conservatives grow frustrated with Fox News and seek other news sources.
In mid-November, Newsmax became the most visited right-leaning news site, overtaking Breitbart. Metrics also showed Trump-friendly Gateway Pundit eating into the market share for right-leaning mainstays.
Trump himself is reportedly considering launching a digital media company to “take on Fox News.”
250,000 – Substack Subscriptions
Left-leaning journalists and editors are leaving prestigious media outlets as those newsrooms continue to become less ideologically and politically diverse.
Substack, an increasingly popular newsletter platform for journalists, now counts a quarter of a million subscribers, with some of its most popular offerings coming from well-known left-of-center writers who just recently worked for major news outlets: Glenn Greenwald, Andrew Sullivan, Matt Taibbi, Jedd Legum, and Matthew Yglesias, among them.
#1 – Parler’s Rank in the App Store After Election Day
Conservatives, claiming online bias and censorship, are beginning to move away from major social media platforms. Parler, branded as a “‘non-biased free speech’ alternative to Twitter,” has been one of the biggest beneficiaries of this migration.
Pew Research Center has found steady growth in the number of Americans getting their news from social media, and a University of Virginia study found a correlation between overall social media usage among conservatives and those users reading more conservative sites than they normally do.
Earlier this year, the Knight Foundation found that a majority of Americans believe there is bias in the news source they rely on most often, further proof that viewers and readers are inclined to seek information sources that align with their existing beliefs. “Americans have rarely been as polarized as they are today,” according to Pew.
4 – Average Polling Error of Pre-Election Polls
Pew Research compiled the average error of 12 battleground state polls, as well as national surveys, and found that both categories overestimated Democratic performance by about four points.
The flawed data created false perceptions about a number of key races, including the presidential, and skewed expectations heading into Election Day. The undeniable tilt in Democrats’ favor only feeds broader skepticism of the media and other traditional barometers of public opinion.
When the Des Moines Register released its final Iowa poll showing Trump leading by seven points, it was treated by many as an outlier rather than an early sign of continued Trump strength in states he won four years ago.
60 – Newsrooms Closed Since the Pandemic Began
The economic fallout of COVID-19 has hit the news industry hard. Furloughs, consolidations, and layoffs have swept through newsrooms that were already facing significant financial challenges before the pandemic slashed revenue.
Newsroom layoffs have totaled at least 11,000 in 2020, with data for the second half of the year still being compiled.