Friday Edition: WaPo Traffic Tanks

Declining traffic at The Washington Post isn’t just about one newsroom’s troubles — it’s a reflection of broader challenges for the industry. (Semafor)

An eye-popping statistic: Daily active users at the Post fell from 22.5 million in Jan. 2021 to 2.5-3 million by mid-2024, Semafor reported this week.

• The paper stopped sharing its traffic data publicly after monthly visits plummeted by 60% last year.

Why? Right-leaning critics blame the Post’s ideological slant for its traffic troubles, and while that’s certainly part of the story, there are other factors at play.

The Trump/COVID-19 bump has faded: News readership spiked following Donald Trump’s shock 2016 win, and again during the pandemic (according to Adweek publishers saw “historic highs in readership”), but the surge is over, interest has fallen back to earth and consumers are weary of the relentless political spectacle of the past few years.

Big tech cut off the spigot: Algorithmic tweaks by platforms like Facebook and X/Twitter have triggered steep traffic drops across the media landscape.

As the chart below from The Righting shows, while WaPo’s traffic has cratered, it’s been even worse for many conservative news sites.

The industry is evolving: The audience exodus from traditional media reflects a broader trend: distrust of mass media and enthusiasm for independent voices (see the explosion of podcasters and personalities).

Bubba’s Two Cents

What do the above factors all have in common? In my mind, they reflect the Washington Post and mainstream media’s failure to adequately respond to the needs of the average American news consumer. Media outlets jumped on intensely negative coverage of Trump in 2016 because it brought them short-term clicks — but in the long term, it alienated large swathes of the public and led to reader burnout. They relied on sensationalistic content optimized for social media for similar reasons and with similar effects. The industry has reacted to accusations of bias and claims that they’re out of touch by calling for more gatekeeping. Attempts to address the problems have been met with stubborn resistance from journalists.

So yeah, the traffic decline at the Post and similar outlets is partly due to systemic industry challenges, but it’s also a case of shooting themselves in the foot.

A record share of Americans say they’d rather not be Democrats OR Republicans. (Gallup)

The numbers: 43% of Americans identified as independents in 2024, matching the all-time high from 2014, per a new Gallup poll.

• Support for the GOP has surged among groups historically tied to Democrats: Hispanics rose to 36% (from 27%), young adults to 39% (from 33%) and black voters to 17% (from 12%).

Zoom out: Recent years political shifts and realignments have led to a reevaluation of the traditional left-right, Republican-Democrat dichotomy.

• One often-cited 2018 study proposed that Americans aren’t just split into conservatives and liberals but fall into seven unique “tribes” ranging from Progressive Activists to Traditional Conservatives.

• Echelon Insights identifies eight political archetypes in its annual “Political Quadrants and Multiparty Democracy” report, with a major focus on the establishment vs. anti-establishment divide.

Bubba’s Two Cents

Over the past decade, widespread disillusionment with political leaders has highlighted a major issue: many working-class and everyday voters felt abandoned by both parties. The political framework seemed broken, a problem not limited to the U.S., as shown by the global surge in right-wing populism.

Donald Trump’s 2024 win underscored how the right has shed its old orthodoxies. Issues once championed by progressive circles, like concerns over pesticides, have been embraced by MAGA through figures like RFK Jr. Similarly, the movement has idolized former Democratic congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard for her anti-war stance.

Ultimately, there’s a strong argument to be made that many voters weren’t deeply loyal to either party — they were thirsty for an alternative. Trump filled that gap and seized the moment.

I’ve said this before, but it’s especially worth considering in light of this: When presented with left vs. right, don’t forget to consider up vs. down.

The verdict is in on how Americans think President Biden will be remembered. (Bloomberg)

A new Gallup poll: 54% of Americans believe Biden will be remembered negatively, with 37% rating him a “poor” president.

• Out of the past 10 presidents, Biden’s net positivity rating (-35) is lower only than that of Richard Nixon.

• Biden’s net rating trails far behind his recent predecessors, with Trump at -4, Obama at +21, and George W. Bush at -9.

• To be fair: Historical ratings for other presidents have improved over time, suggesting Biden’s legacy may shift.

A January 2025 poll on Biden’s presidency: A majority of Americans believe the U.S. lost ground in six key areas, including the federal debt (67%), immigration (64%), the wealth gap (60%), the economy (59%) and the United States’ global position (58%).

• Pluralities see regression in six additional areas, including education, trade and race relations.

• Out of 18 areas polled by Gallup, the only area where more Americans see progress than regression are LGBT rights.

• Biden’s net progress on national defense, immigration and taxes is significantly worse than Obama, Trump or Bush.

Zoom in: Biden’s farewell address critique of President-elect Trump’s billionaire ties and the threat of “oligarchy” have sparked backlash, with opponents highlighting how his policies disproportionately benefited America’s ultra-wealthy.

Biden:

Bubba’s Two Cents

It’s too early to make too much of a fuss, but this feels like the end of an era for the post-George W. Bush Democrats. You could easily argue that Obama, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden and Kamala Harris were nothing more than mild variations of each other, and their vision was firmly repudiated in the 2024 election of Trump…for a second time.

This seems to leave the Democratic party in a bit of an identity crisis. At times it felt like they were held hostage by the progressive wing, and for all of the fuss they made about inequality, they are the ones who won the wealthy and the educated.

Remember how the Tea Party and MAGA were born from a fractured GOP? The future movements probably look similar for Dems.