The “Fourth Estate" has always played a major role in influencing U.S. policy and opinion, but like other major institutions, it is not beyond reproach. Widely criticized for its complacency in the run up to the Iraq War, the media has also been criticized more recently for being too ready to publish sensitive information. Modern media is anything but monolithic, and competitive pressures and a rapid news cycle have forced many news agencies to exercise even less restraint.
Latest in Media Criticism
Can media coverage be objective about a military that largely supports the president--and whose successes are some of his administration’s greatest achievements?
In the current environment, Liz Garbus's new documentary series "The Fourth Estate" is a tremendously important project, documenting in riveting detail the craft of journalism conducted under the most difficult circumstances modern American democracy has presented.
The New York Times editorial board thinks so.
Thomas Baker’s recent op-ed in the Wall Street Journal is eminently forgettable. But its misguided criticism of the FBI’s post-9/11 embrace of counterintelligence highlights how much has changed since Donald Trump took office.
While there are no legal sanctions for violating the Taiwan Travel Act, that does not mean the legislation lacks any legal force.
A second article by Andrew McCarthy on whether a president can commit obstruction of justice through otherwise lawful exercises of executive power is more tentative in its claims than McCarthy’s first.
What to make of Politico’s account of the Obama administration’s posture toward Hezbollah during the Iran deal negotiations.
What to make of the proposed change in the draft Nuclear Posture Review.
Advances in technology will expand the media at risk for manipulation, leaving us to grapple with greater distortion of reality.
It is a not a criminalization of politics to investigate serious allegations of criminality in politics.