The Fourth Estate. In the 19th Century and later it referred to the Press. Today, it refers to all forms of media (newspapers, television, radio, etc.). It was considered one of the cornerstones of freedom. What happened to it? Where is it today?
The truth? The Fourth Estate sold its soul for money. And when you sell your soul, you lose it. The Fourth Estate became commercialized. It became a business. It became a corporation. It became the so-called "Main Stream Media".
It lost its soul.
There was a time in the history of the United States when the press and the Main Stream Media helped to inform the people. There was a time when our "Fourth Estate" actually reported factual unbiased news in a "fair and balanced" manner. There was a time when there was a clear separation between reporting the facts and stating opinion. There was a time when what was reported could actually be believed. But that was then, and this is now.
Now the Main Stream Media "creates" the news. It "shapes" the news. It "slants" the news. It "hypes" the news. Now the Main Stream Media is more of an "entertainment" entity instead of a news reporting entity.
Why? What happened? The answer is money and power.
Advertising revenue. It's all about hype and ratings and the "bottom line". Truth be damned if it doesn't bring in the revenue. Sleazy entertainment sells far better than real news.
More importantly, in recent times, the Main Stream Media has moved from reporting to ideological and political propaganda. It blends news with opinion to the point that it is impossible to tell where the one starts and the other becomes part of it. There was a time in this country when there were ownership laws to help keep the media from becoming a propaganda tool. Those days are gone. Media moguls have created a vast intertwined network of radio, television, and print media that is being used as a propaganda tool to promote their own ideological and political agendas. That is scary. What is worse, though, is when a President and Administration team up with one or more of these media moguls to do their bidding. Unfortunately, it has happened and continues to happen unabated and un-challenged. That is a "clear and present danger" to the Republic.
Is all lost? Not entirely, at least for the moment. The "Fourth Estate" is somewhat alive today on the Internet. But not for long. The media moguls are already working to usurp the Internet for its advertising revenue and propaganda value. They will achieve that goal if "net neutrality" fails. If the media moguls get control of the Internet then the Fourth Estate as a cornerstone of freedom will be dead. And it's hard to see anything on the horizon that can replace it.