Journalists vs. George Washington  

- Cal Thomas

     Our first president and other Founders were targets of journalists in Colonial times, but they believed that a free press was necessary for a strong democracy - or in this case, a constitutional republic. The press is the only profession mentioned in the Constitution. 

     Thomas Jefferson: "No experiment can be more interesting than that  we are trying, and which we trust will end in the fact that man may be governed by reason and truth."

     A 2022 Gallup poll found that just 7 percent of Americans have "a  great deal" of trust and confidence in the media. Well over a third have no confidence at all in newspapers, TV and radio."

     And yet, nothing happens. Journalism is the only profession of which I am aware that seems not to care what the public thinks of it. The media ignore or disparage what people want. They write and broadcast for themselves - money, ratings, fame - and the liberal or conservative demographics to which they cater. 

     The so-called Fourth Estate, once envisioned as a check on government power, now enjoys unchecked power itself. 

     The press has power that does not fall under any constitutional check. Created to attack false knowledge and political corruption, in practice it is neither limited nor moderated by either its own idealism or by any institution. 

To be continued