Crucial, I agree with you.
The Framers gave extraordinary protection to the press because an informed electorate is critical to the functionality (and honesty) of our government. I don’t believe the press ever received such protection before, and damned few have received it since.
But the press was expected to be adversarial and independent, to speak their truth to power. Hence the protection.
What we have now is a media monstrosity. The press today is openly playing favorites, not just taking sides but actively suppressing stories and clearly lying to us. This cannot stand.
The press has become the enemy. Our liberties are jeopardized by their failure to live up to their Constitutional purpose.
So how do we yank their leashes and get them back into line?
The Press’s power lies in it’s ability to be believed. People take the Press at their word and either allow them their own facts or allow them to twist the facts to their liking.
Americans never ask themselves whether the Press is serving them when it’s obvious it is seeing it’s rich liberal masters. The problem is that Americans don’t think independently anymore. I don’t know how to wake them up but Americans have to be retrained to think for themselves instead of liberals thinking for them. That’s the only way I know is to try to teach as many as I can.
An expose on the reporters themselves and how they are biased professionally and personally would help but they’re well protected as assets of the media empire.