2020 vs. 2024 election: See how the media landscape has changed

Media coverage will look a lot different

(AP Photo/Richard Drew, File) (Richard Drew, Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

What a difference four years is going to make.

Even though it’s possible the candidates will end up being the same for the presidential election, lots has changed since Donald Trump and Joe Biden faced off in 2020, with there being major moves for some of their notable critics and allies.

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Since the 2020 election, some notable media personalities aren’t in their previous roles, while social media will look a lot different next year during the 2024 election.

Come next year, here are examples of major differences for how the public will get their information for the 2024 election.

Tucker Carlson

FILE - Tucker Carlson, host of "Tucker Carlson Tonight," poses for photos in a Fox News Channel studio on March 2, 2017, in New York. Fox News sent Carlson a cease-and-desist letter over his new Twitter series, Axios reported Monday, June 12, 2023, amid reports of contract battles between the conservative network and its former prime-time host. (AP Photo/Richard Drew, File) (Copyright 2020 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

The conservative primetime host who was the highest single-rated host on Fox News parted ways with the network in April. Carlson might still have a presence since he has since started hosting “Tucker on X,” but it’s not the same platform of being on a national network.

Chuck Todd

(Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File) (2018 Invision)

In September, Todd left NBC’s “Meet the Press” after hosting it for nine years. He was replaced by Kristen Welker. Todd will still be at NBC working as a chief political analyst.

Rupert Murdoch

(Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File) (2017 Invision)

Last month, Murdoch announced he was stepping down as chairman of Fox and News Corp., ending an era of significant impact in American politics. The Fox News Channel has been a 24-hour network of political discussion that has beaten CNN and MSNBC in ratings.

Chris Cuomo

(Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File) (2019 Invision)

The CNN anchor was fired by the network in December 2021 after allegations that he aided his brother, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, when he was accused of sexual harrassment.

Cuomo was a prominent fixture in election coverage, hosting a morning show on CNN that started in 2018 and then moving to primetime to host “Cuomo Prime Time” in June 2018.

Cuomo filed a $125 million lawsuit against CNN in 2022.

Trevor Noah

(Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)

Noah made a name for himself and won an Emmy while serving as the host of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show,” and was another fixture during the coverage of the 2020 election.

But on Sept. 29, 2022, Noah announced he was leaving the show to pursue other opportunities.

Don Lemon

FILE - Don Lemon attends the 15th annual CNN Heroes All-Star Tribute at the American Museum of Natural History on Sunday, Dec. 12, 2021, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File) (2021 Invision)

A popular primetime host and political commentator on CNN who transitioned to hosting a morning show, Lemon was fired by CNN in April after he made controversial remarks in February about women and aging, according to the New York Times.

Platform formerly known as Twitter

(AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic, File) (Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

Elon Musk’s purchase of the platform formerly known as Twitter, now “X,” has produced moans and groans from some who don’t like the changes to the platform and fear worse changes are in store in the near future.

We’ll see if the platform can still be a reliable source for election coverage in 2024, but some don’t like the direction.


About the Author

Keith is a member of Graham Media Group's Digital Content Team, which produces content for all the company's news websites.

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