So, who completely broke the news media? I've thought about this often. Especially since we've considered it broken for

[NewHendoLib]

nearly 2 decades.

Some factors - torpedoing the fairness doctrine, advent of cable news and constant "breaking news" (very little of it was breaking or news), the 24 hours news cycle that had to be filled, having it all turn to nothing but shiny pretty faces and ad revenue, audience numbers, clicks. Shows like Crossfire that turned it all into bloodsport and outdoing each other with lies. Packing news shows with far more right than left.

And on and on.

But....it is broken. And I can't see how it ever gets fixed. Meaning it is useless.

[leftstreet]

1. It can't figure out how to compete with interactive media

maybe part of it


Corporate "news" propaganda enjoyed decades of respect

Then social media meant people saying "hey that's bullshit you're spewing"

[Crunchy Frog]

2. The consolidation of media ownership.

[calimary]

9. THIS!!!

[Blue Owl]

3. Billionaires

[NJCher]

4. Fox

they created media that lies to tell people what they want to hear. They nurtured an entire segment of the population that latched right on to being in denial. Then you get a thief who steals the presidency and is "denier in chief" and you have a whole segment of the population practicing denial.

Now there is left wing media that tells people what they want to hear. It doesn't lie like Fox does, but it sensationalizes, such as what you see with big yellow headlines and headlines like "YOU WON'T BELIEVE THIS!" Their stories are credible but they sensationalize for clicks.

So both the right and the left have their own media. The "corporate media" has become less important. It's lost a good deal of support because of the internet, so they no longer pay investigative reporters.

[Martin Eden]

5. It happened when major network news transitioned from a public obligation to a profit center.

Using the nation's airwaves was a privilige which came with the responsibility of the Fourth Estate. At some point the corporate bean counters decided that news programs had to turn a profit just like entertainment programs.

[RedWhiteBlueIsRacist]

6. They have squandered freedom of the press, they stuck a fork in it.

[BWdem4life]

7. Um, Bill Clinton?

Telecommunications Act of 1996 ring a bell?

What does it matter who broke it. It’s broke.

[LearnedHand]

8. It's one thing I hated most out of his administration

Another was the refusal to take action on the Rwanda genocide.

[aggiesal]

10. Rupert Murdoch. Nobody comes close. n/t

[EverHopeful]

11. Robert Reich shared a story about a TV show he was on

I thought it was Crossfire but can't find it now. It was set up as a discussion of opposing views and when he and his "Opponent" found they actually agreed on many things, he got word in his earpiece that that was unacceptable. More argument and conflict was what they were supposed to deliver.

I believe this was shared on the most recent episode of his Coffee Klatch IIRC.

All the other things mentioned here have contributed to our broken media but wanted to share this specific example since I'd heard it recently.