Thanks for your reply, Jeff. For sure, the national political news media lost viewers / readers with Trump out of office. That news mechanism is highly flawed, as the driving for ratings is exactly part of *how* Trump got elected in the first place. The attention lavished upon him helped elevate him to folk hero status in no time. The news media, essentially, marketed him.

As for distrust in this mainstream media machine, turning to alternative media is not necessarily the answer people think it is. If we’re all just getting our “reality” from whatever source confirms our biases, we’re further down the path toward an unstable society.

As for social media outlets — have you seen The Social Dilemma? It’s a great watch for an overview of just how social networks have cashed in on cultural rifts and political tribalism. Similar to the old “if it bleeds it leads” news model, for the social networks, outrage is more profitable. Facebook itself has been exposed for prioritizing divisive content. Anything Tristan Harris or Jaron Lanier have to say on the topic is worth attention. As well as ‘Hate, Inc.’ by Matt Taibbi, or the seminal ‘Amusing Ourselves to Death’ by Neil Postman.

Focusing on the politics without addressing the means BY WHICH we are focusing on the politics only cinches the Chinese finger trap tighter…

Thanks again for a good article.