By Ray Cardello for April 28, 2025, Season 31 / Post 48

Sixty years ago, when there were only three network stations on your black-and-white TV, the 6 PM and 11 PM news was must-see TV programing. This era was before satellite radio, UHF channels, and 24/7 cable news. ABC, NBC, and CBS owned the airwaves, and the news anchor was one of the most credible individuals in the country. They reported the national news as it occurred. They told the story with the facts, and they stuck to the facts except for their closing comments. Whether it was Walter Cronkite, Tom Brokaw (before he became an opinion reporter or Peter Jennings, you could trust the source that the story you heard was as it happened. These men were pure journalists. They documented an event. They did not judge and twist it to fit their narrative. They were men of integrity and credibility, and Americans looked up to whichever man they connected with. You could quote these men with confidence that you understood their word to be the truth. Then came Cable, and the news game changed forever, not for the good.

Cable brought variety and choice into American households, most of which now had color TVs. Watching TV and TV news was now an event and part of the entertainment we craved as relief from the stressful reality of our daily lives. The networks had to change their approach to compete with the many new faces vying for America’s attention. Reporting the news verbatim was no longer enough for an audience that wanted to know what the day’s events meant. Viewers did not want to have to think about the news. They wanted someone to interpret it for them. News had evolved from facts to opinions. Journalists had morphed into novelists. Reporters now had the freedom to analyze and create their vision of the news. The days of Cronkite, Brokaw, and Jennings were done.

The 24/7 news cycle is challenging to keep fresh and exciting. New personalities were added to networks like CNN, BBC, and MSNBC, and each had its twist and delivery, hoping to attract an audience and keep the show and host viable. Unfortunately, this competition demanded dynamic personalities, and opinions drifted away from the news. This new environment led to the biased media we have today, which significantly contributes to the divide we experience today. About 25 years ago, FOX was born, and the network focused on the news with a fair share of opinion shows that lean right. FOX was quickly a formidable foe for the existing channels. Conservatives now had a channel and personalities that aligned with their thinking. The divide grew bigger.

It is no secret that Trump has been at odds with the media since his ride down the escalator. Previously, he had been a media darling, sought after by the paparazzi. They turned on him as soon as he announced, especially as a Republican candidate. The media and many Democrats accuse Trump of creating a war on the press and the First Amendment by withdrawing the passes of some reporters who have shown a propensity to twist the truth to satisfy their agenda. The First Amendment guarantees the freedom of the press but does not grant a license to lie and deceive its readers. The media, in its blind allegiance to the Left, has been complicit in many of the lies used by the Left to discredit the Trump administration. This activity has cheapened the profession and is why the press and media suffer from collapsing ratings.