The 2024 US presidential election has highlighted a seismic shift in how people consume news, a shift that resonates with media trends in Australia. As reported by The Australian (from whom we source the graphic attached to this article), traditional media—once the self-appointed ‘gatekeeper’ of political discourse—is quickly losing ground to new platforms like podcasts, TikTok, and independent online creators.

In America, figures like Joe Rogan, whose podcast featuring Donald Trump drew over 45 million views, exemplify this change. Legacy media channels, such as CNN, have seen dramatic declines in viewership, with election night ratings dropping by nearly half compared to 2020. Meanwhile, platforms like TikTok and X (formerly Twitter) are flourishing, offering alternative narratives and a direct connection to audiences.

Australia mirrors this fragmentation. Like their American counterparts, younger Australians are turning away from traditional outlets like 9news and ABC (Australians Broadcasting Communism) in favour of podcasts, YouTube, and TikTok for news and political commentary. This decentralisation offers more diverse viewpoints coming into the market, which should send a shiver down the spine of the legacy media.

As The Australian notes, the implications are profound. For politicians, reaching voters now requires engaging across this splintered landscape, from social media influencers to citizen journalists. For media, it’s a wake-up call to adapt or risk irrelevance in a rapidly evolving digital age.

The lesson for Australia? The way we consume and trust news is changing. The legacy media is dying, or dead.

Look at the recent apology that the media had to issue over false claims about a non-existent ‘conviction of Pauline Hanson’s! There is nothing, read nothing, on traditional media that you can trust.