Media organisations are pondering whether a second Trump presidence will have the same positive effect on their traffic and subscription numbers as the first.
The 2016 presidential election, which saw the victory of Donald Trump, catalysed a significant surge in subscriptions for prominent newspapers such as The New York Times and The Washington Post. This surge was attributed to readers seeking to understand the implications of Trump’s administration and the broader political climate.
These organisations leveraged the increase in subscriptions by launching advertising campaigns specifically targeting their new audience base. The Washington Post, for example, introduced the slogan “Democracy Dies In Darkness,” highlighting a dedicated focus on rigorous journalism and accountability during tumultuous times.
With Trump having secured a second term in this year’s presidential election, publishers are wondering whether they will witness the same effect this time. If so, it couldn’t come at a better time as the structural decline of the former print-based news media has accelerated in the intervening eight years.
David Clinch, a revenue consultant at Media Growth Partners, anticipates a similar, albeit potentially smaller, uptick in subscriptions with the onset of another Trump presidency.
Clinch suggests that while a certain audience remains interested in detailed news coverage, a portion of the public may be experiencing fatigue with mainstream media narratives, which could temper the expected rise in numbers compared to 2016.
Others point out that those readers whose interest in politics was piqued last time will already be subscribers to a publication that meets their needs.
Nonetheless, news organisations are actively strategising to attract specific reader demographics who may be particularly engaged in current political events. An example of this strategy is seen with Vox.com. Its editor-in-chief and publisher, Swati Sharma, reached out to readers with an appeal for donations, underlining the platform’s commitment to “fearless journalism” and straightforward reporting in a recent communication.
The Guardian, a UK-based publication, has also pledged to oppose Trump as it sought donations.
Richard Tofel, the former president of ProPublica, an esteemed investigative reporting non-profit, has said that Trump’s influence might also precipitate an increase in philanthropic contributions to media entities. This potential rise in funding could prove invaluable, especially for organisations that devote their resources to watchdog journalism aimed at scrutinising powerful political and corporate entities.
With these factors at play, the media’s role continues to evolve in parallel with the political landscape. The strategies adopted by various news organisations may be critical in shaping their future audience base and ensuring the sustainability of their operations in an increasingly dynamic environment.
Source: Noah Wire Services
More on this & sources
- https://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2017/09/conservative-media-dominated-coverage-of-2016-campaign-report-finds/ – Corroborates the significant impact of conservative media and the focus on Trump’s agenda during the 2016 presidential election.
- https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3019414 – Supports the analysis of mainstream and social media coverage, highlighting the negative tone and focus on scandals for Clinton and substantive issues for Trump.
- https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2021/09/30/charting-congress-on-social-media-in-the-2016-and-2020-elections/ – Provides insights into how social media was used by lawmakers during the 2016 election, including the high engagement with partisan topics.
- https://shorensteincenter.org/news-coverage-2016-general-election/ – Details the negative bias in media coverage during the 2016 election, with Trump receiving more press attention than Clinton.
- https://sites.bu.edu/pardeeatlas/advancing-human-progress-initiative/back2school/how-the-american-media-landscape-is-polarizing-the-country/ – Explains how the changing media landscape, including cable news and social media, contributes to political polarization.
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/pr/wp/2017/02/23/the-washington-post-launches-new-advertising-campaign-democracy-dies-in-darkness/ – Supports the introduction of The Washington Post’s ‘Democracy Dies In Darkness’ slogan and its focus on rigorous journalism.
- https://www.vox.com/2017/1/24/14363124/vox-media-fundraising – Corroborates Vox.com’s appeal for donations and commitment to ‘fearless journalism’.
- https://www.propublica.org/about/ – Provides context on ProPublica’s role in investigative reporting and the potential for increased philanthropic contributions.
- https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/02/business/media/new-york-times-subscriptions.html – Supports the surge in subscriptions for The New York Times following the 2016 presidential election.
- https://www.cjr.org/analysis/trump-subscriptions-new-york-times-washington-post.php – Details the increase in subscriptions for prominent newspapers in response to Trump’s administration and the broader political climate.
- https://www.adweek.com/media/how-the-washington-post-is-approaching-its-new-ad-campaign-173414/ – Explains how The Washington Post and other media organizations leveraged the increase in subscriptions with targeted advertising campaigns.
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