In the past, there was an inviolable separation between news, editorial and advertising.
Reporters were expected to report who, what, where, when (sometimes how), but in every way to avoid reporting Why.
Why was the province of the editorial staff, and any such articles were to be clearly labeled and identified as editorial and opinion.
Advertising was expected to generate the revenue, but was absolutely separated from the content of a newspaper edition or news program on radio or tv. There were violations, of course, but when they were discovered they were treated as a breach of trust.
With deregulation and the proliferation of outlets, those barriers were not just lowered, they were flat blown away. News was seen as a profit center that could only continue if it could support sufficient adverstising revenue to make it more profitable then yet another mindless situation comedy.
As long as news is considered a profit center and not a civic duty, I expect there to be no changes.
Aslan is not a Tame Lion
™ Version 4.2
