Letters to the Editor
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The end of the mainstream media.
The 1976 movie Network was truly prophetic, even in the biblical sense. It predicted a time in which news and news organizations become nothing more than entertainment. That time has now arrived.
I think the best way to understand the situation is to see that, with some exceptions, "the press" no longer exists. It's just not there. Yes, the trappings are there -- "reporters," "analysts," "anchors," and so on. There is video, print, audio. But the press is gone, other than a few dinosaurs.
The Fourth Estate was good while it lasted. But today it's like the cathedrals of Europe; largely empty, with perhaps a few true believers in attendance.
Network used to be seen as a satiric comedy. Today we see that it was almost a documentary.