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Has traditional media jumped the shark? [1]

['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']

Date: 2025-09-19

When I first saw the story about Jimmy Kimmel, I was outraged. Frankly the pretext for the right's outrage was so nonsensical that it just didn't make sense. I just kept waiting for someone to ask Carr, or the numerous right wingers who attacked Kimmel on TV to please explain why his statement was so bad.

But, maybe we are asking the wrong question. Time and time again over the last six months, we have seen media companies (and colleges, law firms, etc) try to appease the administration for business reasons. As more facts have come out, the Kimmel decision by ABC is the mirror image of the Colbert firing by CBS. Nextstar (and Sinclair) put pressure on ABC and Disney to facilitate their media monopoly dreams.Not to mention Disney's own reasons to appease the administration because of proposed mergers.

So, its time to change the question. Why do we continue to prop up corporate media as a viable model? The days (if they ever really existed) of fair and honest reporting from the traditional media sources are long gone. The right wing bubble of misinformation and outright lies is getting broader every day. And a lot of this comes from the ownership of the media itself.

I'm in my mid 60's. I grew up in an age where traditional media (major networks and local newspapers) were the only source of information. Before cable was a thing, and land lines were what we had for telephones. When the Fairness Doctrine still applied to broadcast news. And when personal computers only existed in science fiction.

But today, I'm probably a dinosaur. I haven't yet cut my cords, even though I'm getting there. The traditional big three networks have become a joke. I can't remember the last time I had one on at night, except for a sporting event. I still watch Colbert 's monologue before heading to bed, but that's available on line. I do watch MSNBC, CNN and BBC news on occasion, but frankly, it's mostly for background noise and to avoid sinking entirely into a bubble.

Maybe I'm wrong, but I suspect a majority of you following KOS are a lot further divorced from traditional media than I am. Cable TV, although still viable, is losing market share to streaming platforms and independent podcasts. And the divide grows with every generation.

So maybe it's time to give up on traditional media and acknowledge that it has jumped the shark. Maybe it's time to start protecting the next generation of media and making sure we don't lose it too.

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