The media has always been as much propaganda as news. Editorials telling the people what the publisher thinks should be rather than what is. When there were two or more competing newspapers in a city there was a chance for opposing views to be heard.
Newspapers whipped up the wars ,then radio and later television joined the agitation and cheerleading.
Factual reporting is rare,if not extinct on the big networks. MSNBC news on the internet is so biased it reminds me of Radio Hanoi.
“The media has always been as much propaganda as news.”
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I think the propaganda, lies, omissions and proselytizing have been amped up to levels never seen previously in this country, at least in recent times. Ideology and the selective use of facts pervades every single subject covered today. While bias has always been present to one degree or another in the media, there was usually some effort made to avoid appearing to be totally one sided. They don’t even try to soften or hide their contempt and vitriol for opposing views anymore.
The “news” business has an openly visceral tone to it these days. Its all opinion and their ideologues don’t give a wit about losing their credibility. Nor do they give a damn how it effects the relatively free flow of information that is essential to our democracy.