America's Press

By Sam Huntington

The American news media began in 1729 with an entertaining press written and produced by Ben Franklin. Its focus was satire and matters of interest (he thought) to the public. A few years later, William Cosby, governor of New York, hauled John Zinger into court accusing him of seditious libel. His attorney successfully argued that newspapers should be free to criticize government so long as the accusations were true. It was this case that led the founders to consider “freedom of the press.”

Back then, it was supposed that the people had an inalienable right to know what government was up to. Of course, in explaining what the government was up to there was considerable license for the writer’s point of view, which we may assume was a viewpoint shared by the publisher.

Public assassination in the press began early in our history. Politicians soon learned how to manipulate the press for their own purposes. If we think the Steele Dossier is a disgrace, read how Thomas Jefferson anonymously conspired to hatchet his boss, President George Washington. Jefferson’s cabal made scurrilous claims, none of which were true. The dye was cast, however. News media became politicized and it has been that way ever since.

Is this problem getting worse? Considering the continual effort to mislead readers and listeners, I’d have to answer in the affirmative. The news is not only too often “fake,” lies and distortions frequently end up re-transmitted on such social platforms as Twitter, Face Book, a plethora of truly bizarre blogs, and YouTube. This would not be a problem if Americans were capable of sifting through bull feces to discover the facts. Critical thinking, however, is not one of the American public’s strong suits.

Independent research takes time; no one has time for it. The consequences of this are serious. Public apathy is an automatic win for politicians, who we might observe are inveterate liars. People who accept lies as truth become easily led sheep, easy marks for political wolves. People who become rabid enablers of dishonest press and their political masters harm themselves, their loved ones, their communities, and the nation.

How much faith or confidence can one have in a loved one who is a prolific liar? Now substitute the words “loved one” with “member of the press.” There you go, America. Here’s your sign.