“You are the media now.”
That’s the message.
You are the purveyors of truth and sentiment: social media influencers, bloggers, Substack writers, YouTubers, and Rumble creators. You are the news.
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By speaking directly to voters, friends, and neighbors—rather than to the media—you changed the results last Tuesday, as Donald Trump won the US presidential election. And once again, Elon Musk sparked a trend on his “X” platform, which spread like wildfire. The legacy media—the paid-off pundits and the three companies that own 99.9% of the media in this country will now have to pivot toward telling the truth.
For the next few years, one message will prevail:
“You are the media.”
This shift was made possible by Elon Musk’s $44 billion purchase of Twitter. At the time, it was a platform mired in censorship and suppression. He transformed it into X, a platform that celebrates free speech.
Elon Musk on Everyday Astronaut on X
While information was stifled under a government-led propaganda machine with the support of Jack Dorsey, Elon set out to dismantle the mess. He restored as much free speech as possible and countered pressure from NGOs that forced advertisers to fold and disappear. As a result, people can now better distinguish between truth and government narratives spun by a heavily compromised legacy media.
Citizen journalists took action. James O’Keefe, for instance, reestablished his efforts with OMG after Veritas was captured, reminding everyone, You are the media now.
YouTubers, Rumble ranters, and streamers on other platforms rally around this call. It’s a rallying cry to practice a different kind of citizen journalism. One based on asking questions, probing facts, and sharing media clips. This citizen-driven perspective has allowed everyone to see stories and people in a new light.
“You are the media now” is a fitting mantra because, after these election results, it has never been more true. A defining feature of this election cycle is the sharp decline in public trust of mainstream or legacy media.
Donald Trump at the Republican National Convention 2024 via New York Post YouTube
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The public sees them as shills for globalist agendas, with dwindling audiences that mock them more than listen. How much influence did they have in 2024? At least 25% less than in previous years—perhaps even more, based on the viewership drop during election night coverage. By state outcomes, their influence likely had a net negative effect.
In fact, the mainstream media’s 90% negative coverage of the former president for four years after he left office was, to put it kindly, detrimental.
Consider the evolution of citizen journalism, evident in Trump’s appearances on platforms like Joe Rogan’s podcast and the broader reach of figures like J.D. Vance. While Kamala Harris sidestepped any real media exposure outside controlled interviews, Trump, in conversations with Joe Rogan—a former Bernie supporter, no less—secured a powerful endorsement. The media landscape has irrevocably changed, with new media challenging the elite’s former monopoly on public attention.
That monopoly is gone.
And as the establishment once said themselves, “that’s a good thing.”
A protestor screams as Donald Trump is sworn in as the 45th President of the United States via ITV News Facebook
People have realized that mainstream narratives often serve only to mislead. The majority have seen enough coverage to recognize how they’re demonized by an agenda-driven machine pushing authoritarian dogma. If you stray from this orthodoxy, you risk being ostracized, “un-personed,” and falsely accused of whatever charges they can make stick.
This has bred such distrust that most no longer believe a word from legacy outlets.
Once upon a time, journalists aimed to set aside biases, pursuing truth and facts. Today, there’s little pursuit of truth, no real investigation, and no willingness to challenge ingrained beliefs. Instead, journalists push ideological narratives to achieve political goals.
Mainstream media won’t admit this, but everyone can see it, and the public is exhausted by it.
Gary Buechler via Nerdrotic YouTube
People have replaced it.
You have replaced it.
Who first reported on FEMA’s failures after Hurricane Milton?
Citizens.
Who exposed Biden’s cognitive decline?
Whistleblowers.
Who brought attention to the corruption and double standards in the Biden administration, including the memory-holed Hunter Biden laptop story?
You guessed it—us. Because we are the media now.
Joe Biden giving a Speech, The Biden White House, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
The most jarring revelation in these past four years of media lies? The disastrous debate performance by a Democratic candidate this election cycle.
The media could no longer ignore the truth. They had to acknowledge the cognitive decline. While independent channels like myself, Valliant Renegade, Nerdrotic, DDayCobra, The Quartering, and Tim Pool discussed it, legacy media hid it until it became impossible to deny. Back then, we had to be creative to avoid YouTube’s censorship policies. Now, we can point to “authoritative” sources confirming what we’ve been saying all along.
Meanwhile, mainstream media painted an idealized portrait of the president’s health, fearing they’d be branded “ageist” if they dared mention his age or fitness. Yet, even as it became clear he was unfit to serve, they ignored the signs.
All because his politics aligned with theirs.
Biden was likely unfit to serve from the beginning. So, who was running the country, disregarding its citizens? And why wasn’t the press held accountable for covering it up?
Elon Musk via AutismCapital on X
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Instead, they threw their weight behind an unlikable candidate, attempting to push her into the limelight without any primary vetting. It was a failed endeavor, as voters recognized she had ignored major issues, especially around border security.
With the mainstream media’s credibility shot, even the executives of major media conglomerates know they can’t endorse such unpopular candidates without risking total disconnection from reality. Even the Washington Post refused to perpetuate the charade.
In response, ideologically driven writers and editors resigned, showing their principles. Yet, it only revealed who to avoid in the future. Those who resigned now face a taste of the financial challenges faced by ordinary citizens. In resigning, they perhaps discovered that virtue-signaling indeed has a cost.
A few savvy members of the media recognize the jig is up. There’s no real future in mainstream media. They’ve become the very thing journalism students of the ’90s were taught to avoid.
Ideologues with agendas.
Sean Hannity Speaking Before a Crowd – Photo Credit: Gage Skidmore from Surprise, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons
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Even established figures like Sean Hannity acknowledge that the influence of legacy media, Hollywood, and celebrity culture is dead. Why? Because they’ve lost all sway over public opinion.
The decline is plain to see. Traffic to mainstream sites is plummeting, and algorithmic shifts could spell the end of centralized control over information.
Cable news is in such bad shape that Comcast is considering divesting MSNBC. Even Warner Brothers Discovery couldn’t solicit offers for CNN at the recent “Meeting of the Moguls.”
Why is it all collapsing?
Audiences are done with traditional news. They prefer engaging, authentic personalities on screens they hold in their hands rather than on a wall. They want someone relatable and honest—qualities mainstream media can no longer offer.
Culture Casino Addresses His YouTube Audience – YouTube, Culture Casino
By abandoning the principles of thorough, ethical reporting, legacy media has become indistinguishable from a personal blog. Locked in ideological echo chambers, they’ve sacrificed relevance and lost the audience’s trust.
I could continue listing ways legacy media has failed, with facts, figures, and quotes, but why bother?
I didn’t bury the lead. I opened with it:
You’re the media now. And that’s a good thing!
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