FLORIDA — During a recent Uber ride in Florida, a driver expressed strong views on politics, blaming Democrats like Nancy Pelosi for various societal ills and citing Fox News as his source of information. This encounter, detailed in a recent article by journalist Katherine Stewart, highlights the pervasive influence of conservative media in shaping public opinion amid economic frustrations.
Stewart, writing for The New Republic, recounted her conversation with the driver, who had been laid off from a health care job and was struggling to make ends meet as a rideshare worker. “A lot of people want something for nothing,” the driver told her, according to the article. “They want to get things for free. I don’t believe in that. I say if you don’t work, don’t come looking for handouts.”
The driver peppered his complaints with right-wing talking points on topics like immigration and crime, attributing his knowledge to Fox News. When pressed on his sources, he specifically mentioned the network, illustrating how conservative outlets serve as a primary reference for many Americans. Stewart noted that the driver also criticized Uber for taking a larger cut from drivers, saying, “They’re taking more and more from us drivers. It’s impossible to make a living.”
This anecdote underscores a broader trend in American media, where economic discontent is often channeled into conservative narratives, according to Stewart's analysis. She argues that the rise of a right-wing media ecosystem, centered on entities like Fox News, has significantly damaged political discourse over the past two decades. “It is impossible to overstate the damage to American political culture of a rising right-wing media ecosystem, centered on Fox News,” Stewart wrote.
Traditional theories on media bias fall short in explaining this phenomenon, Stewart contends. One long-held view attributes bias to the liberal leanings of journalists in urban areas, a perspective often championed by conservatives. A left-wing variant suggests journalists are inherently establishment figures protecting the status quo. Another theory posits that media simply mirrors public polarization, with outlets like Fox News balanced by MSNBC.
Yet another explanation blames technology, such as social media and smartphones, for distorting information. However, Stewart asserts these ideas are incomplete because they ignore the asymmetry between right- and left-wing media spheres. “The right is more insular, it is more extreme, and it is more partisan,” said the director of research at the Berkman Klein Center, as quoted in Stewart's piece, referencing a study by the center.
Research supports this disparity. A summary from the Harvard Kennedy School’s Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy, cited by Stewart, states that “Misinformation is currently predominantly a pathology of the right.” Additionally, a University of Amsterdam study published earlier this year claims that far-right populist parties use misinformation strategically to undermine democracy.
The political impact is substantial, with one study examining voting patterns in areas where Fox News was unavailable due to technical issues suggesting the network may have shifted between 3 percent and 6 percent of votes in recent elections, according to Stewart. But the core issue, she emphasizes, is financial: an “endless, flowing river of oligarchic monopoly money” fueling conservative media dominance.
In the U.S., public oversight of media has diminished, with regulations like the old Fairness Doctrine no longer in place. Today, 40 percent of local TV news stations are controlled by three major conglomerates: Sinclair Broadcast Group, Gray Television, and Nexstar Media Group. These companies own about 100 stations each, affiliated with networks like ABC, CBS, FOX, or NBC, and operate in more than 80 percent of U.S. media markets. Sinclair, in particular, has a documented right-wing bias, giving it significant influence.
Under the Trump administration, media consolidation accelerated, with regulatory approvals seemingly tied to political favoritism. For instance, Trump facilitated the merger of Skydance Media, owned by billionaire Larry Ellison and his son David, with Paramount to gain control of CBS News. This move positioned the Ellisons to potentially acquire Warner Bros. Discovery, which includes CNN. Stewart reports that Comcast, facing scrutiny for its own bid on Warner Bros. Discovery, donated up to $10 million to fund Trump’s White House “renovation.”
“The administration has made it abundantly clear that the pathway to further consolidation involves pleasing (and funneling money to) the regime and its ruler,” Stewart wrote, referencing deals like the CBS merger as stepping stones to larger consolidations.
These corporations prioritize profits over public information, often using rage-inducing content for entertainment value, a model pioneered by Fox News under Roger Ailes. Stewart notes that such outlets coordinate closely with the Republican Party, contributing to their right-wing tilt. The pursuit of oligopoly profits, or “rents,” involves protecting market dominance through favorable government policies that encourage anti-competitive behavior.
While social media and independent bloggers offer alternatives, major media conglomerates still anchor national conversations, as evidenced by the Uber driver's reliance on Fox News. In the tech sector, similar dynamics play out, with monopolies like those held by figures such as Peter Thiel, who has called critics of tax exemptions for the wealthy “the antichrist,” according to Stewart. Even Jeff Bezos has influenced The Washington Post by shifting its Opinion section toward regime-friendly stances on personal liberties.
Stewart argues that this system tilts rightward because plutocrats controlling these entities prefer governments that minimize taxes and regulations. More subtly, corrupt systems thrive on an uninformed public, fostering resentment to maintain control. “The best way to control people, after all, is to get them to control themselves,” she wrote.
Looking ahead, Stewart calls for challenging media and tech oligopolies to restore journalism's role in informing the public. She dismisses superficial solutions like reducing partisanship or tweaking apps, emphasizing the need to address money and control directly. As author of books like The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism and Money, Lies and God: Inside the Movement to Destroy American Democracy, Stewart positions her analysis within a broader critique of threats to democracy.
The implications extend beyond individual encounters, potentially influencing elections and public policy. With media consolidation ongoing, observers say the landscape could further entrench conservative advantages unless regulatory changes intervene. For now, stories like the Florida Uber ride serve as reminders of how economic pressures and media narratives intersect in everyday life.