The headlines of 2025 painted a portrait of America in chaos, driven by the financial logic of America’s media ecosystem. “Office shooter’s rampage shows terrifying rise of motive-free violence, experts warn,” goes a Fox News heading from August. According to fresh Council on Criminal Justice crime statistics, Axios reports, murder rates fell 21 percent last year across the 35 largest cities in the US. In 2026, American media is dominated by just six billion-dollar media conglomerates, an arrangement which has held for well over a decade. More on media criticism: Media Execs Prepare for AI to Bring End of Journalism Industry