Political Media’s Depreciation

The political press is seething. Florida governor Ron DeSantis has shunned its members, and they are jilted. Some reporters have had enough, even going so far as to imply their readiness to extort attention and respect from him. Feed the beast, they remind the governor, or the beast will feast on you. But legacy and mainstream media’s frustration is an outgrowth of the industry’s growing insularity, which has contributed to the obsolescence of its platforms and its reduced value to news-makers.

Political media’s simmering irritation with the governor’s media strategy boiled over this week when Puck News political correspondent Tara Palmeri became a willing example of the casual contempt the DeSantis camp reserves for the press.

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.

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The political press is seething. Florida governor Ron DeSantis has shunned its members, and they are jilted. Some reporters have had enough, even going so far as to imply their readiness to extort attention and respect from him. Feed the beast, they remind the governor, or the beast will feast on you. But legacy and mainstream media’s frustration is an outgrowth of the industry’s growing insularity, which has contributed to the obsolescence of its platforms and its reduced value to news-makers.

Political media’s simmering irritation with the governor’s media strategy boiled over this week when Puck News political correspondent Tara Palmeri became a willing example of the casual contempt the DeSantis camp reserves for the press.

About the Author

Noah Rothman

Noah Rothman is a senior writer at National Review. His third book, Blood and Progress: A Century of Left-Wing Violence, was published by Hachette in May 2026.