New York (CNN Business) A version of this article first appeared in the "Reliable Sources" newsletter. You can sign up for free right here.

This impeachment process is profoundly different than the ones that have come before.

And many of the differences have to do with the media environment that we're all soaking in.

Many stories and TV segments -- including some on "Reliable Sources" -- have homed in on the similarities between this impeachment and the Nixon and Clinton cases. And there is always value to be gleaned from history.

But the differences are more interesting and more important. This is the first internet impeachment, the first of the smartphone age, and the first with Fox News as a top-rated channel. These screens and social media feeds and cable news screamers are changing the process, and, I'd argue, making it feel smaller, even though it is so big. That's why stories about online behaviors and voter opinions are so vital -- because we get a better sense of how people are processing this moment in American history.

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