Why Integrity has been absent from Media

Many of us can recall a time when tuning into the news served as our window to the world. For many hardworking families, their travels are often limited to annual vacations, and millions of Americans have yet to visit some of the country’s most beautiful locations, let alone explore distant lands.

In the past, we relied on our political leaders and news anchors to keep us informed about events occurring beyond our immediate surroundings. During the baby boomer generation, news was generally perceived as trustworthy and not dominated by large corporations focused on ratings and advertising at the expense of objective reporting. What led to this shift?

Two significant events mark the transformation of the news landscape. In 1987, the Fairness Doctrine was abolished. This doctrine had been established to ensure that broadcasters using public airwaves provided balanced news coverage, presenting multiple perspectives on issues. Since its repeal, we have increasingly experienced an era where news content often reflects opinion rather than impartial reporting.

The second pivotal event was the modernization of the Smith-Mundt Act. Originally designed to prevent government propaganda from reaching American citizens, the act was amended in 2013, effectively allowing for the dissemination of government-generated information to the public through various channels. Under the new provisions, any American can access this information upon request, often through a simple computer search.

This raises an important question: Why should information shared with foreign countries differ from what is presented to domestic audiences? Such disparities can lead to perceptions of bias and may foster distrust among the public regarding the motivations behind the information being disseminated.