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10 media predictions of 2024, experts admit went terribly wrong: Taylor-Travis to Elon-Vivek, Biden-Trump, more
As 2024 ends, media predictions faltered significantly. From Biden's exit to Taylor's influence, many experts, including journalists, admitted to misjudgments.
Let’s face it – even the most reliable media outlets occasionally stumble. They may get the facts mostly right, but let’s just say the “future predictions” department sometimes misses the mark.
As 2024 comes to a close, we take a look at the most unexpected twists in the news – and the bold predictions that didn’t quite pan out. Here's our roundup of the top 10 moments where media assumptions were proven wrong or where even the experts were left eating humble pie.
Top 10 Media’s ‘whoops’ and ‘wow’ Moments
From Biden stepping out of the race to Taylor Swift's pending engagement confirmation with Travis Kelce, public opinion about JD Vance, celebrity comebacks, and more, Semafor gathered comments from media personalities who admitted when their biggest predictions went wrong.
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Biden debate debacle
Predictions had Joe Biden nailing the debate with Trump like a seasoned pro despite his stuttering and forgetful appearances making headlines before, But instead, his performance became a headline in its own right. A tough decision followed – stepping out of the race early.
Mehedi Hasan founder of Zeteo wrote, 2024 was the year I posted my wrongest ever tweet. "I think Republicans will regret setting the bar so low for Biden, and helping spread the distorted image of him as a guy who is totally out of it, suffering from dementia, no grip on reality, no ability to speak. A very low bar for him to clear tonight." A few hours later, he was promising to "beat Medicare." A few weeks later, he had quit the race. Like many others, I was completely, utterly, totally, embarrassingly wrong.
Taylor Swift’s engagement with Travis Kelce
Like many swifties and NFL fans, Dana Perino, anchor of Fox News predicted that the Cruel Summer singer would finally announce her engagement. But, turned out it still is a rumour. “In 2024, I predicted that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce would announce their engagement. I was so sure of this. Instead, they just teased us about it the entire year! So I got that one wrong. This year, I'm predicting that Taylor Swift will write a musical that will help save Broadway. I just don't know if it's going to be about a marriage... Or a break up.”
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DOGE we didn’t see coming
Andrew Ross Sorkin, co-anchor, Squawk Box and editor-at-large, New York Times accepted, “ DOGE and the pairing of Elon and Vivek together was not on my Bingo card for '24.”
Prediction about X and WaPo turned wrong
Jessica Lessin, founder and CEO of Information thought that "X" (might lose its global importance due to the spread of fake news and conspiracy theories. Secondly, she predicted that Jeff Bezos might sell The Washington Post. This prediction also proved incorrect. " A year ago, I thought X might become less globally significant as it became overrun with fake news and conspiracy theories. Clearly that hasn't happened. I also thought Bezos might sell the Washington Post. But I don't think there's any way that happens. He's all in.
Taylor Swift’s presidential endorsement went wrong
Steve Bannon says, “That Taylor Swift would make a bigger difference than she did with low-propensity, low-information voters. It was teed up but she waved-off. Contrary to early reporting by everyone from MSNBC to the WaPo, the Swifties were 'washing their hair' on 5 Nov.”
JD Vance and the infamous ‘cat lady’ comment
MSNBC anchor, Rachel Maddow says, “I thought people would be more unnerved by JD Vance. Less the cat lady thing and more the "Americans [are] going to have to get over their dictatorphobia" Mencius Moldbug thing.”
Donald Trump vs Kamala Harris
Marc Cuban says he was “wrong about the election outcome.” Well, to be honest, many of us were, and if you consider American media as a whole, then at least 80 percent were wrong. Everyone rallied behind the Democratic Party’s Kamala Harris, hoping America would finally get its first Madam President. But Trump made a surprising comeback, backed by the strong support of Elon Musk.
Superbowl prediction
Alex Sherman, Media reporter, CNBC “I thought Warner Bros Discovery would get a small package of NBA games to continue Turner Sports' 40- year relationship with the league. While Turner did get some scraps from the league, the company's run carrying live games in the U.S. will end after this season.”
He continued, “That surprised me. I also thought the San Francisco 49ers would beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl. That was dumb. Never bet against Mahomes.”
Richard Pleper says, “My list is long and embarrassing but here's three 1) I thought the Giants would make the playoffs. 2) I thought the Dems would take the House by at least 5 seats. 3) thought only some crazy diehards would watch Tyson fight Jake Paul.
Joshua Toplosky from Sherwood News wrote, “I think one thing I got wrong - in my head at least was how quickly America would forget (or simply not care about) the chaos of the first Trump presidency. Our collective short-term memory seems to be blown, which doesn't bode well for anyone who sees history as a lesson.”
