That’s why independent news media is so important. And not just independent from state interference, but also financially. Consolidation into a few big players is really counterproductive.
And lately there is the whole social media debacle that needs a solution, even more so with fakes and invented “news” becoming more and more easier. That’s an unsolved problem that needs a solution.
However an informed population really is the only way to keep a system from going downhill, everything else basically bets on some benevolent ruling class or dictator and history has plenty of examples how that goes.
Look up Roger Ailes, Ronald Reagan, and the death of the Fairness Doctrine.
Back in the day, if a commentator on a TV or radio station expressed an opinion, the station was obligated to allow any member of the public to present an opposing view. That meant that most stations avoided wild rhetoric.
Reagan got rid of that. He did a lot of other things to make the media worse. Before Reagan, half hour commercials like “GI Joe” or “The Transformers” weren’t allowed.
That’s why independent news media is so important. And not just independent from state interference, but also financially. Consolidation into a few big players is really counterproductive.
And lately there is the whole social media debacle that needs a solution, even more so with fakes and invented “news” becoming more and more easier. That’s an unsolved problem that needs a solution.
However an informed population really is the only way to keep a system from going downhill, everything else basically bets on some benevolent ruling class or dictator and history has plenty of examples how that goes.
Look up Roger Ailes, Ronald Reagan, and the death of the Fairness Doctrine.
Back in the day, if a commentator on a TV or radio station expressed an opinion, the station was obligated to allow any member of the public to present an opposing view. That meant that most stations avoided wild rhetoric.
Reagan got rid of that. He did a lot of other things to make the media worse. Before Reagan, half hour commercials like “GI Joe” or “The Transformers” weren’t allowed.