As our tumultuous media landscape unfolds into the future, I am continually reminded of a science experiment I did in a university biology class. In the experiment there were two petri dishes, each containing two different kinds of bacteria. In one petri dish, we applied a substantial amount of nutrient-dense agar solution; in the other, an unsubstantial amount. Then we covered the dishes and let them grow for a week. At the end of the week, the one that lacked a substantial amount of resources was glowing; the other not. Why? Because if resources were plentiful, the two types of bacteria could coexist peacefully. But as soon as the resources dropped below levels needed for survival, one type of bacteria which was slightly better at obtaining nutrients did ok while the other type starved, letting out a glowing distress signal as it slowly died. In the present world of online media, distress signals are everywhere as resource scarcity is harming journalists in favor of the clickbait-driven entertainment media organism. I predict that in 2020, newsletter subscription services will continue to facilitate alternate pipelines of resources for journalists so that they can continue to do journalism instead of spending their working energy hunting for more resources, or just dying.