ABSTRACT
News media might be the most obvious space where cynicism is spread as the institution most directly involved in framing how we think about politics, politicians and truth itself. Many have pointed out the ways social media has been instrumental in the rise of polarization, fake news, the far right and the war on democracy, their algorithm implicated as a form of psychological warfare on the public. We must also look at the mainstream media, which has largely abandoned its role as the fourth estate of government, keeping citizens informed, holding politicians and political institutions accountable, and engaging in effective agenda setting. This is particularly true of Fox News and other right-wing news outlets that have instead worked to foment the grievance culture outlined in the last chapter but is a problem across much of mainstream and cable news. This chapter looks at the convergence of these factors in feeding political insularity, the war on truth and anti-democratic sentiment. It concludes by advocating for media reform, revitalization of local news and critical media literacy to combat these trends.
