"
Missing link" media refers to the second tier of established, so-called "mainstream" media, only one rung below the
corporatized "legacy" media. They are generally accepted by the mainstream as credible sources but they have considerably less financial power than the top rung
legacy media.
The missing link media will be the first to suffer from competition from by citizen journalism and
alternative media sources on social media websites. They will either be absorbed into their legacy media
counterparts or will fold under the strain.