When I mow the lawn I always turn on my garage radio. Because I’m mowing the lawn, I hear almost none of what’s on the radio, until I turn the mower off. You catch a song halfway through; an out-of-context news blurb. It’s like a friend that’s always there, but that won’t be mad if you’re too busy to pay close attention.
This is most people’s relationship with the media. And media is the topic of today’s column (gift link).
I work in the media. I’d like to be remembered as a newspaper columnist, but am actually what is now called a multimedia content producer. My relationship with “the media” is intimate. I’m always following what’s happening, what’s on, who’s saying what and what it all means. It’s literally my job to do this. But I must always remind myself that this is not normal. Most people — even in our ultra-connected, always-on media landscape — have a casual relationship with media sources, even if they turn to them often.
Casual means easy. The radio plays in the garage because it’s easier than fiddling with my phone and Bluetooth speakers. TV is good for news, because it’s a couple buttons away when you turn on the set. Most of the time, the phone is easiest for everything. That’s why I recently had to unlearn everything I thought I knew about shooting video to turn the whole rig sideways.
But “ease” does not come cheap. The democracy of media production of our times (YOU can have a podcast, YOU can make a news or opinion video) obscures a dogged consolidation of companies that produce and distribute media.
It’s happening right now, and the impact will affect not only what you will see and read in the future, but also how much it will cost.
Read “The paradox of today’s media” in the Monday, June 22, 2026 edition of the Minnesota Star Tribune.
Aaron J. Brown is a columnist and member of the editorial board for the Minnesota Star Tribune. His new book about Hibbing Mayor Victor Power and his momentous fight against the world’s largest corporation will be out soon.
