As Americans increasingly get their news from online shows and streamers, the influence of this media ecosystem becomes more prominent — and Media Matters has found that the most popular of this content is overwhelmingly right-leaning.

President Donald Trump’s propaganda outlets are struggling to articulate a clear message as his sclerotic rollout of tariffs trigger widespread economic turbulence. 

U.S. stock markets tumbled on Monday after Trump told Fox News’ Maria Bartiromo that he could not rule out the possibility of a recession. The Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 both suffered their worst day of the year, losing more than 2%, while the NASDAQ Composite fell 4%, its worst day since September 2022.

The daily DOGE drumbeat continues apace, and the strategy behind the “legacy” media’s reporting is now plainly apparent. They want to drive a wedge between President Donald Trump and Elon Musk.

Consider ABC’s report in its entirety, as aired on ABC World New Tonight on Thursday, March 6th, 2025.

President Donald Trump’s actions over the past few weeks have drawn cheers from Russian President Vladimir Putin’s government — and with good reason. 

Between Friday morning and Wednesday morning, ABC, CBS, and NBC have giddily devoted 16 minutes and 38 seconds to House Republicans being ambushed at town halls with angry attendees lashing out over their support for President Trump, Elon Musk, and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). 

On February 18, President Donald Trump pushed multiple false claims about the war in Ukraine and President Volodymyr Zelensky’s involvement in it, falsely suggesting that Ukraine started the war and that Zelensky is a “dictator without elections.” Both claims echo Russian propaganda about the war.

Many right-wing media figures praised Trump's comments, with some commentators even following in his footsteps to target Zelensky. Others denounced Trump's remarks as “music to the ears of Vladimir Putin.”

At the top of every hour, hundreds of taxpayer-subsidized National Public Radio stations in 50 states transmit leftist public relations, badly disguised as news. You can get talking points jammed in your ear on your rush-hour commute.

On the morning of February 20, NPR anchor Korva Coleman promoted an anti-Trump lawsuit, and notice there are no labels for the activists. They’re just for “civil rights.”

Our colleague Curtis Houck’s earlier writeup of the new but not improved CBS Evening News suggests that the ongoing turmoil is driven by the newscast’s new format, editorial choices, and anchor delivery. Tonight’s report on efforts to end the war in Ukraine confirms that thesis.

Watch as anchors John Dickerson and Maurice DeBois open the newscast with an introduction to the Ukraine story:

Guest and former George W. Bush administration official John Yoo characterized McConnell’s ruling as “another example of the courts trying to get into the middle of a fight between the president and the Congress.” Yoo described Trump’s actions as those of an “energetic executive,” claiming, “There is nothing wrong with the president saying, ‘I want to freeze spending now that I’ve come into office and see what's going on.’” [Fox News, America Reports, 2/10/25]

The executive producer of "60 Minutes" remains defiant and CBS News' parent company mulls settling a lawsuit waged by President Donald Trump. 

Bill Owens, who has led the long-running program since 2019, took a tough stance against Trump during a Monday staff meeting, according to The New York Times.

"There have been reports in the media about a settlement and/or apology," Owens reportedly said. "The company knows I will not apologize for anything we have done."