Was there ever a time in history when journalist have become the story?

[The Backlash Cometh]

Maybe it's because the old journalist understood that their ultimate purpose was to inform the public; maybe it's because they understood their jobs required putting the good of the public, before the special interest of a few; maybe it's because the old journalist weren't the ego-maniacs we have today? The evidence is accumulating that there has been a major change in journalism, but before I close the door on that assessment, I have to ask if anyone here remembers another moment in history when more journalist are not only in the story, but may also have been using their jobs to push misinformation to the public? Take a look at the evidence:

Judith Miller from the NYT, the majorette of the Iraq War, is in the news.
Walter Pincus, goes as far back as Wen Ho Lee, may have even known about Plame, is in the news.
Bob Woodward, once an old-time journalist, now one of the narcissistic news-makers.
Novak, lost his shows probably because he was too much in the news.
Russert and Matthews, working on my last nerve...
Jeff Gannon, Mr. Disinformation in the flesh.

I'm sure you can come up with others. Is this a smoking gun that the press was seduced, infiltrated and manipulated? By whom? The neo-cons?

[greatauntoftriplets]

1. Watergate???

Yes.

[The Backlash Cometh]

2. The journalist weren't committing the crimes in Watergate.

Watergate is an example of old time journalism.

[gademocrat7]

4. I agree

Journalists during the Watergate era reported what they saw. They gave viewers and readers the truth. There was no script to follow. No talking points from the White House. How utterly sad that today the media can not tell the truth.

[ixion]

3. think Rome in decline

or any empire, for that matter. The equivalent roel (e.g 'Scribe' or 'Jester' ;-) ) would be true.

[mmonk]

5. "Journalism" is now a tool

to elect and keep rightwing power and/or to destroy any political challenge. I think when historians write about the end of the American experiment, today's "news" sources will be at the center of that end.

[Journeyman]

6. Hearst & Pulitzer and the "Yellow Journalism" of the Gilded Age. . .

Hearst's sensational stories even pushed us into a war of aggression against Spain.

It's an Extra, Extra, Extraordinary Story. Read all about it . . . Google Hearst and The Maine and "Yellow Journalism" and Senorita Clemencia Arango.

Solomon said it first: 'There's nothing new under the sun.'

[Maddy McCall]

7. Beat me to it.

[greyl]

8. Portions of The Bible come to mind. nt