President Donald Trump calls on a reporter during a news conference on Monday, Aug. 11, 2025. Eric Lee/For The Washington Post/Getty Images New York —
Growing up in Missouri, the home state of Rush Limbaugh, I often heard the word “media” spoken with a fair bit of derision, sandwiched by the words “liberal” and “bias.” It was an accusation that crystallized as a capital-T Truth for much of the country as Fox News emerged in the late 90s, wielding it as a cudgel to reinforce the network’s conservative credentials.
The perception of “liberal” media was always exaggerated, and often unfair, rooted partly in the fact that most mass media giants were headquartered in Democratic strongholds like DC and New York (where, of course, Fox is also based.)
But President Donald Trump’s MAGA co