The State of American Journalism

Those of us paying attention know that the state of American journalism is not so good. We have a press corps cowed by the government, afraid to ask any hard questions, afraid to criticze the administration for fear of being deemed unpatriotic. This has got to stop. This article adapted from a speech by Molly Bingham, a photojournalist who covered the Iraqi resistance, is a good start.

We need to begin to be able to look again at our government, our leadership and ourselves critically. That is what the Fourth Estate is all about. That's what American journalism can do at its zenith. I also happen to believe that, in fact, that is the highest form of patriotism -- expecting our country to live up to the promises it makes and the values it purports to hold. The role of the media in assisting the public to ensure those values are reflected in reality is undeniably failing today.

Read the whole thing, it is well worth your time.