Oliver Darcy, An Phung, Kerry Flynn, Donie O'Sullivan, Chloe Melas and Frank Pallotta look ahead to some of the biggest stories on the media beat in 2021, offering some predictions and hopes for the new year.

Dan Abrams says the specter of defamation lawsuits against right-wing media outlets is a serious matter. Abrams says voting tech companies were "portrayed as villains" and discusses potential remedies.

Dr. James Hamblin and Juliette Kayyem discuss concerns about the chaotic rollout of Covid-19 vaccines. Kayyem says the press must point out problems but take care not to overstate the situation. Similarly, Hamblin says, anecdotes about adverse reactions to vaccines shouldn't be blown out of proportion.

Brian Stelter asks Dr. James Hamblin about a growing numbness about the Covid-19 death toll in America. Hamblin says the data sets "are proving to be an ineffective motivator to some people, to continue caring and continue taking the actions that are needed in order to stop this pandemic." Juliette Kayyem also discusses the "split-screen" nature of the pandemic.

Emma Hurt says David Perdue has avoided giving interviews during his Senate race, to the dismay of some Republican operatives. Astead Herndon says the Republican candidates have sought to "vilify" the media to please base voters. Rana Cash also joins the conversation.

Brian Stelter checks in with three reporters in Georgia about the over-the-top ad spending and apocalyptic rhetoric in the Senate runoff races. "It's exhausting," Rana Cash says, calling some of the ads downright scary. Astead Herndon says voters are "completely overwhelmed" by the ads. TV stations are benefiting from the influx of cash, Stelter points out.

In the news coverage of Trump's attempts to block Biden's election win, "what I would say is missing is 'local reality,' local news," Timothy Snyder says. "If local news were stronger, we'd all have a stronger sense about how the elections actually happened," including the security of the voting systems.

Yale professor Timothy Snyder, author of "On Tyranny," says Donald Trump is "moving from the territory of the medium-sized lie into the big lie" about the election. Snyder tells Brian Stelter the news media should "take a deep breath" and "talk about the context" of Trump's anti-democratic actions, including what it means for the integrity of future elections.