The latest film "Civil War" by director Alex Garland depicts a third-term president ruling over a divided America from a pseudo-journalistic lens. Journalism in 2024 meanwhile struggles with social media, the impact of AI, and the evolution of funding for traditional media, with potential layoffs and buyouts projected.

LA Times reports A24’s “Civil War,” the latest film from “Ex Machina” and “Men” director Alex Garland, imagines a third-term president ruling over a divided America and follows the journalists driving through the war-torn countryside on a mission to land his final interview.
Starring Kirsten Dunst and Cailee Spaeny as photojournalists, alongside Wagner Moura and Stephen McKinley Henderson (and a scene-stealing, nerve-racking Jesse Plemons), the film carries a reported production budget of $50 million and has already started to recoup the costs at the box office, earning $25.7 million in ticket sales in its first weekend in North America.
“Civil War” has also been a discourse juggernaut. Conversation on social media has focused on the lack of context given for the conflict at the heart of the film. In a recent column, The Times’ Mary McNamara wrote that “forcing the very real political divisions that plague this nation into vague subtext doesn’t even serve the purported pro-journalism nature of ‘Civil War.’”
According to ICFJ, journalism in 2024 will see major changes in the relationship between traditional and social media, the emergence of AI, and funding for traditional media evolving. Other possible developments include:
More newspapers stop daily print production: As print costs rise and distribution networks weaken, more newspapers will stop printing daily.
Digital news and non-news content will be bundled: Large publishers will bundle digital news and non-news content to lock in existing customers.
Big tech platforms will lean further into paid business models: Big tech platforms will look to reduce their dependence on advertising.
According to Muck Rack, more than one-third of journalism organizations will report layoffs or buyouts in 2024. In January 2024, Challenger, Gray & Christmas reported that 538 news outlets announced layoffs, including print, broadcast, and digital media. 
However, some say that 2024 will be a big print year because print is more trustworthy than online sources. 
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