General

Death of newspapers will result in greater corruption

Public officials will take advantage once they realize they won’t be exposed

People have been predicting the demise of newspapers for years, but now that newsrooms are shutting down, some are taking a hard look at what comes next. And the view isn’t a good one. In a lengthy piece the New Republic bids adieu to newspapers, and hello to a staggering rise in corruption among public officials, once they realize they’re less likely to be exposed. Yes, there have been some instances where bloggers have uncovered wrongdoing. But the blogosphere is mostly parasitic, feeding off traditional news media, even as they revile the MSM. The story looks at numerous cases where investigative print reporters who have rooted out corruption have since been axed to cut costs. Whatever hopes we’ve put in new technology to replace professional news gatherers are likely to be dashed. The resources that permitted the old media to develop sources, conduct rigorous fact checking and expose corruption are vanishing faster than the new media can replace then.

The New Republic

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