As witnessed unapologetically by both the Trump and Harris campaigns this year, legacy media's importance is dwindling in the face of new digital alternatives. From Joe Rogan to Call Her Daddy, social media influencers and their podcasts are now dominating public discourse with viewership numbers that traditional outlets would die for in the modern landscape. For better or worse, news media is undergoing a generational transition that we must all try to keep up with.
There is hope that, despite mainstream media's recent decline, legacy news can restore the trust once placed in it and return common sense to the post-truth era currently encouraged by alternative social media. Transparency, accountability, and objectivity must be championed once again if society is to see a rejection of the polarization and fake news that now ravages our information landscape. The mainstream media must reform itself and win back public faith.