The Media’s Duty

If, during the next two or three years, the United States of America transitions from a flawed democracy to a plutocrat-friendly autocracy, much of the blame can rightly be laid on the media. The overriding problem facing our country is that most Republicans have chosen to pursue an authoritarian agenda to gain and hold power permanently. Yet, as Jennifer Rubin pointed out in a powerful Washington Post column yesterday, “Republicans who appear for TV interviews are rarely — if ever — asked basic questions about the ongoing threat to our democracy.” She lists many questions that interviewers should ask Republican politicians, as to which they should be made to answer and not let off the hook.

American democracy can’t survive if a clear majority of voters don’t understand that Republicans have proven themselves willing to abandon truth, justice, fairness, and basic decency in their effort to turn our country into an authoritarian state. Members of the media have a sacred duty not just to report what politicians and their backers say, but to root out truth. The Washington Post’s motto is “Democracy dies in darkness.” The media, generally, needs to provide much better lighting.