The main problem is the “press” (media today) are flat out lying about their preferred candidates and their opponents.
The founding fathers believed the press would expose idiocy and corruption so voters could have a clear and accurate knowledge of their candidates for election and make an informed decision.
With the widespread immorality and godlessness of today’s America, our constitutional republic has become undermined as John Adams said would happen and make our constitution “inadequate” for such a wicked people.
In the founder’s time the press was at least as partisan as it is today.
But the First Amendment ensured that there was always more than one news paper with more than one opinion. Just about every town had more than one news paper.
News paper publishers could easily be bought by a politician that wanted himself spoken of in the best possible light.
And politicians were not above starting their own paper to publish their own propaganda if they could afford it.
Just about all politicians would publish pamphlets either promoting themselves or bashing their opponents (anonymously, don’t want to get in a duel).
“The most insidious power the media has, is the power to ignore.” — Chris Plante, WMAL, DC.