I have a hypothesis. This was inevitable. Media has always been a mix of 3 types of people: Journalists, activists and glory hunters. The shift in the revenue m

I have a hypothesis. This was inevitable. Media has always been a mix of 3 types of people: Journalists, activists and glory hunters. The shift in the revenue model since the advent of social means has banished Journalists. The only ones who can bear to stay in this dying industry is those who are in it for more than money or profession. Enter activists and glory hunters. A similar thing happened in liberal-arts academia ( and tangentially K-12 education). The slog to tenure is so horrible, that anyone who pursued critical analysis and scholarship has fled/pivoted to more rewarding industry positions. The only ones remaining are ones who care too much for the labels (Professor) or those for whom activism is a primary motivator. Thus, institutions that cater to someone of a certain education level are quickly diverging from the expectations the said consumer has from these institutions. The activists at the institutions want to impose their dogma which is exactly what a large portion of the deserters were fleeing in the first place. These people have been loosely referred to as 'The Grey tribe'. SSC figured this out a decade before and put in better words than I can. However, I recon there is far greater mutual resentment between the industry workers and institutional activists than is acknowledged by the media. Institutional activists hate tech, not due to moral reasons, but existential reasons. They know, that the power they wield is fickle. It is build on moral high-ground, virtue signalling and reputation. On the other hand, tech wields real power; power lend to them by money. Why won't they fight the war in the open ? Because media is fundamentally intertwined with politics. The Democrats and Republicans have mutually alienated each other in a manner that reconciliation isn't on the horizon. Republicans win on voter turnout. Democrats rely on receiving both the captive voter (blue tribe) and most of Grey-tribe, who hate Democrats less than Republicans. An out and out moral war leaves room for Republicans to pivot towards grey-tribe favored moderation. (Unlikely, but stranger things have happened). At the end of the day, the 'prestige' media still relies on the 'prestigious'(D.C. royalty) to bestow that prestige on them. They cannot run afoul of them entirely. IMO, the war is raging fiercer than ever. It is like two dogs who are leashed, stretching the limits of their freedom. The only reason blood hasn't been drawn, is because there are bigger masters holding the reigns (Tech - Profit motive and regulation threat. Media- Politicians and the appearance of fairness)