NPR Critic-at-Large Eric Deggans penned a pessimistic media analysis for Saturday: "2026 looks ominous for media, from Hollywood to journalism." That means an ominous Trumpian trend, but it's amusing how liberal bias aggressively opposing Trump equals a "gold standard" of "fair, accurate reporting."
Deggans began:
The worst thing about today's media environment is that — bad as it is — it is easy to imagine how things might get worse in 2026.
Traditional journalism outlets buffeted on all sides by misinformation, weak-kneed ownership and a hostile White House will struggle to earn back public trust even as the need for fair, accurate reporting grows.
Smaller groups of wealthy businesspeople control larger swaths of the country's information ecosystem, pitting their overall corporate interests against the public's desire for accurate journalism challenging powerful institutions in society.
Liberals need to push for more aggressive liberalism, like pushing for Jimmy Kimmel's return after he lied about Charlie Kirk's killer being pro-Trump:
The real wild card here is the audience, which has more power than it realizes. The fall and rise of Jimmy Kimmel proved that viewers can make their preferences known in ways that preserve free expression, forcing media owners to show some backbone.
But the public will have to get more involved in 2026, weighing in with their viewing choices and their pocketbooks to make sure the options that bring the most freedom and ethical behavior are also the most profitable.
Here's the Deggans list of ominous trends:
1. "No matter who wins the contest to buy Warner Bros. Discovery, the public may be the biggest loser." That's the classic leftist position: all mega-corporations suck, which is why "public" broadcasting is somehow the best option.
2. "2026 could be a do-or-die moment for the film industry, which must find a better way to make its case to consumers." See #1, with Netflix winning the WBD war.
3. "Vulnerable traditional news outlets will face vaguely explained overhauls from owners with troubling agendas." Liberal bias is "vulnerable," and curtailing that is a "troubling agenda." This is all about CBS News appointing Bari Weiss as Editor-in-Chief.
CBS News stands as Exhibit A of this phenomenon, with new evening anchor Tony Dokoupil sending a message to viewers Jan. 1 saying the press "put too much weight in the analysis of academics or elites, and not enough on you."
It's a nervy statement to make as he becomes the face of a news operation once considered the gold standard of television journalism...media critics like me worry that nonsensical culture war language like that is mostly a smoke screen for changing news coverage to fit the ideological preferences of new owners at Paramount and CBS News' new editor-in-chief, Bari Weiss.
My concern, as a longtime media critic, is that someone who has clashed ideologically with traditional news outlets is now imposing her political views — and the views of her bosses, Paramount's ownership — under the guise of addressing journalism issues.
Feel free to giggle at the idea that classic CBS News was never "imposing their political views" on the public.
4. "The Trump administration's racist language will challenge news outlets." This is where Deggans, the author of a book called Race Baiter, is performing a classic leftist pounce.
Deggans claimed Vice President Vance “has used language about white pride that some politicians feel comes too close to the language utilized by white supremacists.” What language was that? Vance boasted the DEI was on the run, and “In the United States of America, you don’t have to apologize for being white anymore.”
Deggans should probably change his name to DEI-ggans. President Trump saying certain countries like Somalia are “s—tholes” is also racist.
He found what was "more disturbing is how little these instances have dented the news cycle, challenging traditional news outlets to consistently and constantly report on these actions as the displays of open racism they truly are." You have to scream "Racist" or you're not "fair and accurate."
5. "Public media will find ways to stand on its own, but with a notable loss." Deggans mourned that conservatives won't be forced to fund journalism that slams them as demagogic racists.
Federal money for public media ensured that, on some level, every tax-paying American helped fund work done by NPR, PBS and assorted public media outlets. Opponents may have believed public media was biased, but a majority of Americans supported federal funding for public media." Every American had a vested interest in the system, and everyone in public media knew and respected that.
Pants On Fire! NPR and PBS never respected the conservative audience. "Public" outlets never attempted to meet their audience in the center, as you can see from their hyperbolic loathing of Weiss and Dokoupil.
