And while your point re 'wire services' is well taken, it is but a symptom of the underlying malady, imho.
I would assert that the primary contagion is the glut of socialist indoctrination machines that presume to call themselves 'schools of journalism'.
In churning out their legions of leftist drones - either incapable of, or hostile to, critical thinking and objective reporting - the inevitable casualty is Truth.
To the extent that any individual 'reporter' is muzzled therefrom by their entrenched doctrine and/or blinding ambition, to such extent do they side with the enemies of Truth.
/.02
Yes, but where do they come from?? What they teach is only what the AP has been teaching since the Civil War. Some of it actually good, in the structure of a news article.But the fundamental problem lies in the assumption that journalism is objective. Note, I did not say, “the fact that journalists are objective,” and I did not say, “the effort of journalist to try to be objective.” It is the claim of actual objectivity which is central to grubercratic politics. Once recognize the plain-as-the-gruber-on-your-face fact that journalism is politics, not objectivity, and you delegitimate not only the FEC and all “campaign finance reform” but all efforts of the FCC to control “fairness.”
The Constitution forbids titles of nobility and it forbids government-established priesthoods - but we now have - have had, since memory of living man runneth not to the contrary - an established press. Lots of different outlets, but only one press - the associated press. Able to enforce an orthodoxy onto the public conversation, which is only now being even dented by the new media.