Summary
A new AP poll reveals widespread political fatigue among Americans, with two-thirds limiting political media consumption post-Trump’s election.
Viewership on CNN and MSNBC has plummeted, with declines of 35-54%, as many Democrats and independents step away from politics.
In contrast, Fox News has seen a 12% ratings surge, dominating cable news.
The trend mirrors post-election slumps in previous cycles, though the erosion is sharper this year.
Some suggest focusing less on Trump and more on broader issues to re-engage disenchanted audiences.
I remember watching my roommate, in the early 90s, and he was absolutely GLUED to some news outlet - pretty sure it was local news. I kind of laughed as I walked through the room. He followed me into kitchen - it had switched to the commercial break - and he was kind of wound up a bit for whatever reason. He demanded to know what was so funny. I chuckled and said “none of this is real news”. He huffed and puffed a bit and so I said I’d watch it with him and explain what I meant and that he should not really take offense - the mirth was not really aimed at him, but the situation. He was game for whatever reason.
And the rest of the show was the usual filler you can write off right away as not news: sports scores, local incidents of crime, celebrity gossip, the direction of the Dow. There was nothing that was going to have any impact whatsoever on either of us, with the possible exception of the weather, I suppose.
And at this point, I had not even read Chomsky, so I probably had less grounding on this.
Anyway, I don’t think it’s gotten any better. It’s always been bad, but I think algorithms can make it far, far worse.