Stephen A. Smith

You've mentioned a couple of times here that the media is weaker than it has been and maybe recognize its weakness. I think just to put that sort of in perspective, right? We had the 2024 election where the candidates interacted less with the media than at any point. Trump did famously no interviews with a mainstream media organization for the last, you know,

You've mentioned a couple of times here that the media is weaker than it has been and maybe recognize its weakness. I think just to put that sort of in perspective, right? We had the 2024 election where the candidates interacted less with the media than at any point. Trump did famously no interviews with a mainstream media organization for the last, you know,

whatever it was month of the campaign Harris did historically few, they took few Harris took a few questions from the, from the press then. And then you have just, you know, you have to, you know, drop in cable subscript, cable subscriptions, ratings, the economics you know, sort of the Washington post is losing money.

whatever it was month of the campaign Harris did historically few, they took few Harris took a few questions from the, from the press then. And then you have just, you know, you have to, you know, drop in cable subscript, cable subscriptions, ratings, the economics you know, sort of the Washington post is losing money.

It's just, if the media has been weaker is weaker at this point than it has been in any time. And so I kind of like, well, On top of that, the credibility and the reach of the legacy media is obviously at its nadir. Is it fair to wonder whether the right, who's been raging a decades-long war against the media, has now won that war?

It's just, if the media has been weaker is weaker at this point than it has been in any time. And so I kind of like, well, On top of that, the credibility and the reach of the legacy media is obviously at its nadir. Is it fair to wonder whether the right, who's been raging a decades-long war against the media, has now won that war?

Yeah, I think that, I mean, yes, I think that's a reasonable thing to say. Like, what's the prize for winning that war? I'm not sure. I mean, there's a couple, just when you talk about trust, like the polling data here is worth looking at because it's interesting.

Yeah, I think that, I mean, yes, I think that's a reasonable thing to say. Like, what's the prize for winning that war? I'm not sure. I mean, there's a couple, just when you talk about trust, like the polling data here is worth looking at because it's interesting.

And basically what you see is that like starting with Dan Rather, actually, all of the decline in trust in the media is among Republicans. Like, the independents, pretty flat. Democrats, pretty flat. But you see this decline starting with Dan Rather in 2004. Republicans start saying the media is too liberal.

And basically what you see is that like starting with Dan Rather, actually, all of the decline in trust in the media is among Republicans. Like, the independents, pretty flat. Democrats, pretty flat. But you see this decline starting with Dan Rather in 2004. Republicans start saying the media is too liberal.

And then at some point in the Trump years, it flips from the media is too liberal to the media is making everything up. And that's a huge difference. And that's sort of what you're talking about. It used to be a shared reality in which Republicans complained about the refs. sometimes justifiably, to a situation in which they believe that the whole thing is made up. And that is a big shift.

And then at some point in the Trump years, it flips from the media is too liberal to the media is making everything up. And that's a huge difference. And that's sort of what you're talking about. It used to be a shared reality in which Republicans complained about the refs. sometimes justifiably, to a situation in which they believe that the whole thing is made up. And that is a big shift.

And then the final thing that is kind of dispiriting is the one place that trust media is eroding among Democrats is among young people. And that's happening pretty fast now.

And then the final thing that is kind of dispiriting is the one place that trust media is eroding among Democrats is among young people. And that's happening pretty fast now.

And this is Gallup polling. Right. And I, and I've done, I was, I saw a lot of focus groups, a lot of research in how Gen Z gets their news. And just the idea of going to a website to get news is like, we never, it doesn't even occur to them. The idea that you would turn on the television to watch news does not.

And this is Gallup polling. Right. And I, and I've done, I was, I saw a lot of focus groups, a lot of research in how Gen Z gets their news. And just the idea of going to a website to get news is like, we never, it doesn't even occur to them. The idea that you would turn on the television to watch news does not.

And, and, you know, my daughter, um, you know, if she, uh, if she knew about half Indian post and she was like, Oh, is that, is that something in safari? Yeah.

And, and, you know, my daughter, um, you know, if she, uh, if she knew about half Indian post and she was like, Oh, is that, is that something in safari? Yeah.

Yeah, that's right. Just, I mean, you, you wrote about this in your book and you've talked about a lot of the interviews when you're talking about a couple years ago, but is just the, uh, and this is sort of where we, so you have, you have two things. You have lack of trust in media, which is, uh, and growing among Democrats, particularly among young people.

Yeah, that's right. Just, I mean, you, you wrote about this in your book and you've talked about a lot of the interviews when you're talking about a couple years ago, but is just the, uh, and this is sort of where we, so you have, you have two things. You have lack of trust in media, which is, uh, and growing among Democrats, particularly among young people.