The problem of “the press” is simply that we have only one press. Wire services in general, and the AP in particular, constitute continuous virtual meetings of all major journalism institutions. The result is precisely what Adam Smith predicted: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. - Wealth of Nations (1776)Wire service journalism is monopoly journalism. Since journalists are essentially all in cahoots, they conspire against the public to further the interests of journalists. The interest of journalists is pretty well catalogued, again by Adam Smith:The man whom we believe is necessarily, in the things concerning which we believe him, our leader and director, and we look up to him with a certain degree of esteem and respect. But as from admiring other people we come to wish to be admired ourselves; so from being led and directed by other people we learn to wish to become ourselves leaders and directors . . .Journalists attract attention and gain credence by telling people things that they don’t know. There are many things ordinary people don’t know, and most of which journalists don’t know either. Journalists tell stories which are simple enough for ordinary people - including journalists - to understand. For those simple things to be equally understandable by journalists and other ordinary people - yet not already known by people other than journalists, those “simple things” must be recent enough that journalists know them before ordinary people do. Hence, the journalist’s continual propaganda campaign to the effect that the “breaking news” is important. But in reality, ”breaking news” is important only in a crisis.The desire of being believed, the desire of persuading, of leading and directing other people, seems to be one of the strongest of all our natural desires. - Adam Smith, Theory of Moral Sentiments (1759)
Obviously the crisis mentality that breaking news is important is antithetical to wisdom and caution. Hence, the routine promotion of that mentality is directly counter to the public interest. Crisis mentality is fed by bad news, and interesting (and thus persuading) the public by an emphasis on bad news is a staple of journalism. And yet journalism’s conspiracy against the public promotes the conceit that journalism is objective. But "the conceit that negativity is objectivity" is a very serviceable definition of cynicism. Negative, crisis-promoting journalism which claims to be objective is instead cynical. And cynicism is the opposite of faith.
To “keep our politicians honest” requires that journalists be independent from politicians and that politicians be independent of journalists. In reality Democrat politicians go along and get along with journalists (even more than Republican politicians do). What is the public to do? Adam Smith again:
The natural disposition is always to believe. It is acquired wisdom and experience only that teach incredulity, and they very seldom teach it enough. The wisest and most cautious of us all frequently gives credit to stories which he himself is afterwards both ashamed and astonished that he could possibly think of believing. - Theory of Moral SentimentsHere on FR we pool our (individually inadequate) “incredulity” in an effort to be wise and cautious in the face of the propaganda onslaught of “News."
BUMP!