Commentary

Despite Trump's Scoldings, Newspapers See Strong Results

Donald Trump’s presidency is having various compelling consequences across numerous industries -- so much so that MediaPost has launched a new series, “The Trump Bump,” highlighting brands that end up in the news because of some sort of relationship with the President or the White House.

This “bump” is by no means confined to consumer brands -- newspapers and progressive organizations have seen a strong uptick in subscriptions or donations, particularly those that President Trump and his team love to deride as the “opposition party” or “fake news.”

According to Reuters, the “failing” New York Times saw a record increase of 276,000 subscribers to its digital products in the fourth quarter of 2016, and is seeing a 10%-15% increase in digital ad revenue this quarter. Likewise, the company expects to add 200,000 subscriptions to its digital news products in the first quarter of this year.

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Despite confidence in media being at an all-time low, with only 35% of respondents professing that confidence in an Edelman survey, what we would consider progressive or centrist news media outlets are riding a strong “Trump Bump.”

Like the New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and The Financial Times are both experiencing an increase in readership perhaps due to the Trump presidency.  The FT’s digital subscriptions rose 6% in the fourth quarter and the Journal saw a strong increase of 113,000 digital subscriptions in its last quarter, representing a 12% overall increase, again according to Reuters.

Particularly in the news media space, President Trump’s White House, while continually berating any outlets that run less than favorable stories, is proving a strong catalyst for increased readership.

The turmoil of the Trump administration has made investing in news media that much more important, as the American citizenry aims to stay abreast of all developments affecting their lives. In order to keep President Trump accountable, it's vital to make sure news organizations have the funds to take on various investigative endeavors.

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