© EricPetersAuto
What happened to journalism that actually challenged - or even questioned - authority? You know, looked into things - and (as the slogan of a big-time paper styles it) exposed wrongdoing to the world without fear or favor? When did journalists become the leashed Shih Tzus of the powers that be, barking ferociously at times but never or very rarely at anything that really
matters?
I can speak to this - as a guy who did work within the system as a writer/editor (and who personally knows people who still do).
There is no written code one must follow to get hired - and to avoid getting fired - as a journalist in America. However, there is a very clear
sub rosa understanding as regards the opinions one must possess (or
not express) which results in a startling - almost Stalinist - degree of political orthodoxy at major papers, TV networks, magazines and so on.
The independent thinker is not wanted - and the independent actor will quickly find himself unemployed and/or unemployable.
The media is also extremely insular and controlled. There are very few independent newspapers, for instance. Most of the medium-sized (and small) city/local papers are just shells. They are either owned by a national media conglomerate (e.g., Gannett) or they obtain most of their "copy" from "the wire" - the AP - and produce very little of their own,
independent copy. The editors at these smaller papers simply pluck the stories - invariably the
same stories, written by a handful of writers - and place them on the page. Hence the startling uniformity of the stories (and the opinions expressed). It is just like McDonad's. A Quarter Pounder With Cheese in Seattle tastes pretty much exactly like a Quarter Pounder With Cheese in Pittsburgh.
Comment: For reference
On Manuel 'El Blanco' Valls... The 'Cahuzac' Dieudonné refers to... Some of the actions taken by the French (and UK) State... along with some unanticipated consequences... For current and historical context to understand what's happening in France...