The woke revolution in American journalism has begun

Can the media's traditional principles survive?

A newspaper stand.
(Image credit: Illustrated | Alamy Stock Photo, iStock)

When we think about revolutions, we envision acts of violence: the storming and overrunning of barricades, the sharpening of guillotine blades, regicide. But what's most essential to revolution isn't the bloodletting. It's the change in regime — the shift in the orienting principles or ideals of the community or organization. Whether individuals in power hang on to their positions or are deposed matters less than whether the prevailing standards the community or organization looks up to, admires, and reveres fundamentally shift. When such a shift occurs, a revolution has been accomplished.

We've living through a revolutionary moment in American journalism right now.

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Damon Linker

Damon Linker is a senior correspondent at TheWeek.com. He is also a former contributing editor at The New Republic and the author of The Theocons and The Religious Test.