[NonValueAdded]

Free, yes, independent, no. I believe the Founders wanted both. The system is predicated on a free and independent press.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Free, yes, independent, no. I believe the Founders wanted both. The system is predicated on a free and independent press^es .

Hear, hear!

The press is a single entity - the presses are not independent - because they all joined the Borg^{the wire services.}

The wire services constitute virtual meetings of all major journalists; competition among wire services notwithstanding, all of them effect the homogenization of journalism:    

People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the public, or in some contrivance to raise prices. It is impossible indeed to prevent such meetings, by any law which either could be executed, or would be consistent with liberty and justice. But though the law cannot hinder people of the same trade from sometimes assembling together, it ought to do nothing to facilitate such assemblies; much less to render them necessary. - Adam Smith, Wealth of Nations

That explains the fact that journalism functions as a single, non-independent entity. The fact that that entity is “liberal” is also explicable:

1. Journalism is negative (If it bleeds, it leads) and yet it claims to be objective.

2. Thinking that negativity is objective is only possible if you are cynical.

3. ”Liberalism” is also cynical about society (and naive about government).