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The News Media's Changing Landscape: A Perfect Storm for Tea Party Growth

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

The Tea Party movement, driven by estimated one-fifth to one-third of the electorate, seeks reliable news and information to fuel its political endeavors. With the traditional media landscape crumbling, the Tea Party must navigate a fragile ecosystem where trust in news sources has reached a 50-year low, courtesy of the Obama Administration's heavy-handed program to punish dissenting media outlets. The economic crisis gripping the news industry is adding to the chaos, as primary news gathering firms collapse, and syndicated programming fills the void.

Key Takeaways:

  • 94% of Tea Party identifiers believe the federal government has become a special interest, looking out primarily for its own interests, compared to 67% of all voters.
  • Only 37% of Tea Party identifiers trust information from TV and Newspapers.
  • The Obama Administration's program to punish dissenting media outlets and reward those who "co-operate" has eroded trust in the Federal government to a 50-year low (22%).
  • The economic crisis has forced primary news gathering firms to downsize or disappear, and centralized syndicated programming has become the norm.
  • The Tea Party can potentially influence the growth of credible news organizations, such as National Journal and Bloomberg.
  • Institutional bias, like the New York Times and Network Television News, will eventually implode at their own hand, while organizations with individual bias can be salvaged through consumer awareness facilitated by the Tea Party movement.

Statistics:

  • 47% of Tea Party identifiers rely on Television for information.
  • 24% rely on the Internet, and 8% on Newspapers.
  • 94% of Tea Party identifiers believe the federal government has become a special interest.
  • 67% of all voters share this sentiment.
  • 50-year low in trust in the Federal government at 22%, according to Pew Research.

Sources:

Reference: (FinancialWire via COMTEX) - [1] Socio-Political Commentary - April 22, 2010 (FinancialWire) (Investrend Forums Syndicate)

Editor's Note: Commentary from The Political Prophet' (R) is referenced from The New York Times, Network Television News, CNN (Time Warner, Inc.), MSNBC (NBC Universal, Inc.), Fox News Network (News Corp.), and Associated Press, Reuters, and Bloomberg.

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