The long decline of major-media news journalism has been quite a story. We’ve been following it for years — perhaps all our lives.
Back when there were only three channels in the U.S., and when most cities had a newspaper or two, all competing to “cover the news,” we thought that there was some objectivity to it all — that facts were paramount. That may have been naive. But with the rise of cable television news and the 24-hour news “cycle,” and then Internet blogging, vlogging, and podcasting, all fixed around a few social media company platforms, all pretense of rigorous reporting has evaporated.
Even corporate tool Stephen Colbert now admits that the very idea of objectivity is popularly regarded as a joke.
As it was in the beginning of the country — with Federalist papers competing with Republican papers — so it is today, except most major media outfits are Democrat, and only one major channel, Fox News, presents anything like a “Republican” spin on “the news.”
So, let’s congratulate the Democrats for finally recognizing reality.
At their national convention, just wrapped up, most journalists were not allowed on the floor. Press passes were given to loyal Democratic “journalists,” sure, but not to any of the few still trying to do actual reporting. Glenn Greenwald was refused a pass.
Instead, the Democratic Party let in a whole bunch of “influencers” and TikTokers.
Greenwald sees this as a horrific degradation of the role of honest journalism.
But maybe we should see it as the only sign of honesty we can expect from Democrats.
If propaganda be the norm, accept it and “move on.”
Silly Republicans, stuck in the past, allowed all sorts of reporters into their convention.
This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.
Illustration created with PicFinder and Firefly
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