The ending of Truth Social posts from President Donald Trump against the likes of ABC and NBC Sunday evening didn’t get as much attention as it should have.
“Crooked ‘journalism’ should not be rewarded, it should be terminated!!!” he wrote.
However, his initial post certainly did.
“Despite a very high popularity and, according to many, among the greatest 8 months in Presidential History, ABC & NBC FAKE NEWS, two of the worst and most biased networks in history, give me 97% BAD STORIES. IF THAT IS THE CASE, THEY ARE SIMPLY AN ARM OF THE DEMOCRAT PARTY AND SHOULD, ACCORDING TO MANY, HAVE THEIR LICENSES REVOKED BY THE FCC. I would be totally in favor of that because they are so biased and untruthful, an actual threat to our Democracy!!! MAGA.”
As did his follow-up thought: “Why is it that ABC and NBC FAKE NEWS, two of the absolute worst and most biased networks anywhere in the world, aren’t paying millions of dollars a year in LICENSE FEES? They should lose their licenses for their unfair coverage of Republicans and/or Conservatives, but at a minimum, they should pay up BIG for having the privilege of using the most valuable airwaves anywhere at any time!!! Crooked ‘journalism’ should not be rewarded, it should be terminated!!!”
The left immediately went for the jugular. “Donald Trump Rages At ABC And NBC, Says They Should Lose FCC Licenses Over ‘Unfair Coverage,’” Deadline wrote. Other outlets like Raw Story went with headlines such as: “‘Should be terminated!!!’ Trump menaces ABC and NBC in midnight outburst.”
Both Deadline and Raw Story are using inflammatory language, which is bad journalism. Words like “rages,” “menaces,” and “outbursts” not only give way to confirmation bias, but they also imply that his feelings are wrong. Remember, no feeling is wrong — but feelings don’t belong in journalism. So when the President (or anyone else in the world) gets emotional, you stay neutral.
Meanwhile, the right took a more praising approach with headlines like, “Trump hits ABC, NBC as ‘FAKE NEWS,’ says he’d support FCC revoking licenses” (from the New York Post) and “Trump: Revoke ABC, NBC’s FCC Licenses for Dem Bias” (from Newsmax).
The Post headline is a problem because he’s not physically hitting them. I don’t know when this became acceptable, but it shouldn’t be. The Newsmax headline is bad because — aside from giving the entire story away — it gives confirmation bias to their already right-leaning readership (which, again, confirmation bias is not news).
A good, neutral, 70-character headline would have looked like the following: “Trump shows support for FCC to revoke licenses of two major networks.” It doesn’t give away the story and it avoids confirmation bias.
President Trump is not wrong: “crooked journalism” should not be rewarded. However, as the left overreacts to the posts (and the right seemingly rejoices in them), the FCC isn’t going to take away licenses because journalists are protected by the First Amendment as well as a slew of other laws and legislation. Even if the FCC did take away ABC and NBC’s licenses, it wouldn’t matter—outlets no longer need the stamp of approval from the FCC to get their message out there.
The FCC does not regulate podcasts, YouTube content, or any streaming service. Hulu, Amazon Prime, and Netflix aren’t regulated by the FCC. Disney owns Hulu, and they also own ABC. Removing ABC’s right to radio and TV won’t stop them from amplifying their other unregulated products.
The unregulated content world has become more of a competitor for last century’s news outlets (yes, even the digital-first platforms from the 1990s). Your first problem now is unregulated content creators who are not just stealing your piece of the proverbial pie—they’re stealing your piece of the pie and then selling it to the audience after they’ve chewed it up and spit it out.
Think about it. Websites like TV Eyes, Meltwater, and CisionOne roll on your content and get paid by content creators so they can clip it up, place it in a video, and then either give their opinion on your words or show how your outlet is skewing the news to the left (or right). Then your bookers take those same people and put them on a TV screen, calling them “experts” (a term I hate) because they have some sort of large following—a following they built off of your content.
Sure, it may seem like they need you, but you can be replaced. CNN’s gone? Fine, I’ll go to MSNBC. No Newsmax? No problem, I’ll go to Fox. These creators don’t believe in your message—they believe in their own.
Then these creators evolve, and they become your second problem. The person you used to book as a guest is now a host. (I’ve been told many times that the best talk radio hosts are the ones who used to call into the station because they are “tuned into that world.”) If they don’t want to renew their contract after you’ve built a following together, you are the one who loses.
If they don’t re-sign with you after “making it big,” that talent can take your audience away and launch their own podcast or streaming show—living fully in the unregulated world, delivering their own message, and not dealing with big-box puppetry (which some, but not all, networks participate in).
Take a look at Tucker Carlson, Megyn Kelly, Joe Rogan, and so many others who made it big after being on at least one network. They are all now saying (in an Eric Cartman voice), “Screw you guys, I’m going home.” (They can literally do what we do from the comfort of their own house now!)
The future is coming fast, and it is unregulated, unfiltered, and loaded with George Carlin’s seven dirty words. The media is no longer about what outlet you work for but about who you — the “news personality” —are. People don’t even have to tell stories well. MrBeast adopted 100 dogs in 2023, and that video has more views on YouTube than the 2023 and 2024 Super Bowls combined.
But what does this mean for you—the program directors, brand managers, presidents, vice presidents, and CEOs of media companies? It means you need to pivot, and fast. Today’s talent doesn’t need you, your big company, or your shiny lights and cameras to get their voice out there. Most of them don’t even need your money anymore either. You can literally do our job with just a smartphone.
For the last two years, I’ve had the fortune to help private equity firms assess, evaluate, and determine what makes new media opportunities potentially viable before they hit the public market. Most are not. The most interesting models I’ve seen for media companies include a secondary market related to the industry.
Some stations are already doing this by helping their clients make commercials. Others are leasing out unused sound booths to content creators. It’s a good way to stop the hemorrhaging, but I’m not entirely convinced it will save the big-box outlets.
The fall of the media giants has already started. The FCC won’t be able to pull “crooked journalism” from the extreme left or extreme right off the airwaves, because they don’t need the traditional media airwaves any longer.
You can’t crush the content creator (for now), so the selling point you need to make is simple: “How can I help you create?” Swallowing your brand’s pride and backseat driving for content creators might just be the only way you can save your brand—and instead of falling, take only a small tumble.
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Krystina Alarcon Carroll contributes features and columns for Barrett Media. She has experience in almost every facet of the industry including: digital and print news; live, streamed, and syndicated TV; documentary and film productions. Her prior employers have included NY1 and Fox News Digital and the Law & Crime Network. You can find Krystina on X (formerly twitter) @KrystinaAlaCarr.
