I'm not sure when it began but the current quality of what passes as "journalism" has hit rock bottom. That's the good news, there's nowhere to go but up! Editorials and commentaries always were a medium for newspapers and other news sources to express opinions or offer an analysis of the news. That kind of input does not belong in the body of reporting. When it does show up there, it is not reporting but indoctrination.
I believe newspapers or pamphlets, in the beginning,were partisan and issue oriented but the newspapers of quality I remember took extra pains to insure that what they reported was accurate and objective. Neither is any longer the case. The once incomparable New York Times now not only reports unverified rumors as news but in the past few years several of its reporters have been found guilty of fabricating news stories. What a come down for one of the most successful, profitable and trusted newspapers which now finds itself on the verge of extinction.
With all the news sources available today, and no one to verify facts, there is almost nowhere you can turn to be certain you are reading, hearing or seeing the truth. This is a dangerous condition in a free country which requires accurate information to function properly. Because of constitutional protections, lies or inaccuracies, as long as they are not libelous, will pass as news. When someone shows up on the scene that many believe, their popularity soars, not because they are exceptional but, because of trust.
I recall one of the Soviet Union's leaders saying once something to the effect that they would "bury" us. He was implying that our freedom would cause us to implode because unscrupulous people would use it as a weapon against us. When we witness unscrupulous news organizations, wealthy anti-American "philanthropists" and one-world unions trying to undermine our freedoms through abuse of freedoms,and the illogically applied freedoms enjoyed by terrorists and war criminals, it does sound as though the Russian may have been right.
I believe newspapers or pamphlets, in the beginning,were partisan and issue oriented but the newspapers of quality I remember took extra pains to insure that what they reported was accurate and objective. Neither is any longer the case. The once incomparable New York Times now not only reports unverified rumors as news but in the past few years several of its reporters have been found guilty of fabricating news stories. What a come down for one of the most successful, profitable and trusted newspapers which now finds itself on the verge of extinction.
With all the news sources available today, and no one to verify facts, there is almost nowhere you can turn to be certain you are reading, hearing or seeing the truth. This is a dangerous condition in a free country which requires accurate information to function properly. Because of constitutional protections, lies or inaccuracies, as long as they are not libelous, will pass as news. When someone shows up on the scene that many believe, their popularity soars, not because they are exceptional but, because of trust.
I recall one of the Soviet Union's leaders saying once something to the effect that they would "bury" us. He was implying that our freedom would cause us to implode because unscrupulous people would use it as a weapon against us. When we witness unscrupulous news organizations, wealthy anti-American "philanthropists" and one-world unions trying to undermine our freedoms through abuse of freedoms,and the illogically applied freedoms enjoyed by terrorists and war criminals, it does sound as though the Russian may have been right.
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