The media lost all credibility in the wake of Donald Trump’s victory in the 2016 election. What most conservatives in America already knew about the rampant bias in the mainstream media was now apparent to everyone. Apologies for getting the outcome so wrong were plenty, from NBC News to The New York Times. Many of those same outlets promised to do better; to be more fair and balanced. So far, no good.

Now making that same promise is The Huffington Post, or rather, HuffPost as it has rebranded itself, as it eases away from its recently departed namesake, the uber-liberal Ariana Huffington who launched the site in 2005 as a kind of Drudge Report for leftists. With a newly acquired editor-in-chief, Lydia Polgreen from the NYT, and chief executive Jared Grusd, HuffPost promises to be and do better.

"Arianna’s drive and wit will still flow through HuffPost,” Grusd said. “The new name is a real homage to her legacy, but it also sort of moves us forward. The site is almost 12 years old, and is bigger than just one person. Our identity now means a lot of things to a lot of people. So this is sort of us saying, ‘Here’s what we are doing in the new world order.’”

In her “letter from the editor,” Polgreen told readers, “We’ve got a new name, look and mission ― to tell the stories of people who have been left out of the conversation.” 

Polgreen gave a little background on HuffPost’s shift:

[I]n the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election, a lot of journalists are asking ourselves whether our audience should trust us. How were we so wrong? Are we out of touch? The Pew data tell us our audience had lost faith in us long before the first vote for Trump was cast. 

This is a global phenomenon. Journalists didn’t see Brexit coming. The rise of ethno-nationalism in Europe and Asia crept up on us. Were we paying enough attention to the long-gathering backlash against globalization, or to the looming fears that technology will eat up millions of jobs?

I think we can do better for people who feel that too much political and economic power has accrued to a very small elite. People who feel they are on the outside looking in at the prosperity created by globalization and technological transformation. That the game is rigged; that the deck is stacked against them; who feel that the house always wins. That definition includes many, many people who voted for Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders. I suspect it also includes the majority of people who voted for Trump. It certainly encompasses voters on both sides of Brexit and the French presidential vote that took place over the weekend.

For me, the biggest divide in America, indeed across the globe, is between those who have power and those who don’t, and that doesn’t easily line up with our red and blue, left or right politics. The media has come up short in telling the story of one side of that divide ― of the people experiencing anger, voicelessness and powerlessness.

Polgreen states that basic news is no longer in vogue and believes journalism includes other “essential ingredients” like “emotion, humor and empathy.”

“It’s no wonder so many people these days get their news from comedy shows,” she added.

That’s what drew her to HuffPost, Polgreen said, and that's where she will live out the new vision:

As we launch a brand-new name and look for HuffPost, I’ve been thinking a lot about these questions. How can we become better listeners? How can we serve you, our audience, better? We’re doubling down on our bold, splashy style, and serving up the news with a sense of humor, outrage and empathy. We’re also taking the suggestion of our audience across the globe and formally adopting the shorter name they’ve called us for years: HuffPost…

We’ll be asking more voices from different perspectives to join our network of contributors and describe their experiences in their own words. And our global editions will work together much more closely to cover the big, sweeping stories of our time: the rise of nationalism, terrorism and climate change; the challenge of the global migration crisis; the struggle for human rights across the world.

We’re also looking beyond the news, investing in journalism about how people live their lives. We’re renewing our focus on the things that bring us joy and relief, like culture, celebrity and entertainment. And we’re building robust communities around the most vital topics that obsess our audience ― including identity, parenting and how to live a healthy, fulfilled life, no matter where you live or how much money you have.

In other words, expect more of the same. As of this writing, Polgreen’s new vision to reach a broader audience includes front page headlines like Sean Spicer’s “WTF Moments” in his first 100 days, Trump’s “staggering corporate tax giveaway,” "hell for the undocumented," the “rejection” of women in rock music, and praise for both Rachel Maddow and Trevor Noah. 

Welcome to the “new” HuffPost. But like The Who’s Roger Daltrey sings in Won’t Get Fooled Again, “Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.”