‘Because Empires in decline just don’t go bump in the night.’ – Anonymous

It’s strange to think that, beyond a handful of journalists such as Bill Moyers, the most impacting and no-nonsense journalism in the United States is provided by what are technically comedy shows.

Be it the Daily Show, The Colbert Report, or Real Time – the truth is that these are really the only programs available the American public that ask tough questions, don’t pull punches, and aren’t afraid of the backlash that many in the world of American journalism now fear.

Ironically, when the hosts of those three shows are asked if their programs are of significant import beyond the comedic, they all humbly reply with the same answer – no. And yet, despite their programs being on the likes of Comedy Central and HBO, they are quite often regarded as being far more politically astute and cutting edge than most major news programs whose job it is to report the actual news. They also feature a wide variety of guests from all political backgrounds and often conduct very direct interviews with their guests.

The declination of the fourth estate in North America is no secret. One need only look at the run up to the war in Iraq as evidence that its mandate within the context of democracy has been replaced by something altogether more placating for the sake of access and, in turn, ratings. No longer will the people of the United States be able to look to the professionalism and integrity of the likes of Edward R. Murrow, nor will most major news networks allow those who work for them to truly investigate and confront government, primarily in fear of losing access to it. True, there are those, such as Keith Olbermann, who do push the envelope from time to time, but the reality that remains is that the media is both handled by federal government in many ways, and that it, itself, plays into the restrictions placed upon it rather than refusing to.

News is a business, and the loss of it means the loss of capital. Thus, in fear of displeasing shareholders and endangering lucrative advertising contracts, the media has, to a very real extent, willingly restricted itself, and refused to truly provide objectivity in fear that it might endanger them. The result has been a massive betrayal of what the primary purpose of the fourth estate within the context of a democratic society is – to provide the citizenry unbiased, politically unmotivated information to ensure that government is kept in check.

It’s an antiquated and somewhat lofty notion, I realize. But then again, so is the Constitution these days.