This op-ed by Roger Ream originally appeared in National Review Online. You can find the original article here.
Too often over the past decade, news outlets have seen themselves as crusaders against the Trump administration and for activist government in general. That may now be changing.
These past months have witnessed significant changes in American journalism. Several well-known news personalities from the past decade, from Lester Holt to Chuck Todd to Joy Reid to Jim Acosta, have left their familiar roles at prominent news organizations. Major newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times, the Washington Post, and USA Today, chose not to endorse a presidential candidate last fall for the first time in decades. Recently, the Washington Post shook up its opinion page in favor of more coverage of “personal liberties and free markets.” Both the White House press briefing and press pool are rotating in new journalists and start-up media organizations to report on the Trump administration alongside traditional mainstream outlets.
Some of these moves reflect regular churn in the media business. However, there are clues of a potentially positive trend happening in American journalism: namely, the news business acting like a business again. Too often over the past decade, news outlets have seen themselves as crusaders against the Trump administration and for activist government in general. That may now be changing, and not a moment too soon.
American journalism’s recent challenges have been discussed at length. Publishers and editors have blamed the industry’s troubles on a variety of factors, including the collapse of print ad revenue in favor of digital media, the failure of news outlets to monetize their own content, the rise of social media, challenging macroeconomic conditions, and short attention spans among today’s news consumers.
This list misses perhaps the most consequential explanation for the industry’s decline: Americans’ lack of trust in traditional media. According to Gallup, trust in mass media hit an all-time low in 2024. A mere 31 percent of Americans now have a high confidence in the media to report the news accurately and fairly. Since 2017, trust has declined every year, save one.
It’s no coincidence that this collapse in trust tracks the period of time since President Trump emerged on the political scene in 2015. Since then, the mainstream media have maintained a combative, adversarial stance toward Trump, treating him and his supporters as unique threats to American democracy. This is a posture far beyond the traditional journalistic ethos of distrusting government sources and questioning official narratives. In turn, the roughly half of Americans who supported Trump, as well as many others, began to see the media as rife with liberal bias — pursuing political wins for their side instead of seeking truth.
A long-term decline in trust threatens news organizations’ business model. Smart news leaders are now steering their organizations out of the anti-Trump fog of the past decade and back toward traditional newsgathering. That is a welcome sign. However, in some corners, old habits die hard.
Recently, some outlets have highlighted a supposed “historic war on traditional media” by the Trump administration. Others accuse the administration of developing “a new state media.” Reporters Without Borders described American press freedom as being “under siege” one month into Trump’s term. Others call for increased solidarity among media organizations through boycotts and walkouts against the White House. One prominent media executive even suggested a “NATO for news” to defend mainstream media against the Trump administration.
Let’s be clear. American journalism isn’t in crisis because of President Trump. Ironically, Trump’s first term was a financial windfall for mainstream media, in terms of new subscribers and clicks on articles covering the president. Recent trends in the news business aren’t a “war” on traditional media, either. And journalism doesn’t need “solidarity.” This would only further entrench the “Journalists vs. Trump” dynamic that’s been so damaging to public discourse. Instead, it needs more high-quality, honest, truth-seeking reporting to win back the American public.
The reality is that the business of news in this country is changing. Few now watch the nightly news telecasts that were the staple of family evenings for decades. Many younger Americans prefer to get their news from social media or news influencers. Prominent journalists are leaving legacy media brands to go solo. From podcasts to Substack to the Free Press to social media, nontraditional sources are breaking news and shaping opinion alongside legacy outlets.
The media must adapt to these changing times, for their own sake and for ours. The American system requires a free, fair, functioning press to keep voters informed and government representatives in check. The best way to ensure that continues is by returning to traditional journalistic values. The Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics calls on journalists to seek and report the truth, act independently, minimize harm, and promote accountability and transparency. It doesn’t say anything about American journalism acting as a protest movement. Rather, the media should set aside solidarity, slogans, and boycotts and get back to the news.