Walter Lippmann, an American writer and journalist, once said, “There can be no higher law in journalism than to tell the truth and to shame the devil.” In the United States, the newspapers and journalistic media have often been referred to as the “Fourth Branch” of government. The term refers to the idea that the press serves as another “check and balance” on the other branches by keeping citizens informed.
This is especially true in election years.
In any election cycle, there is extensive media coverage of the candidates, as journalists endeavor to dig up facts on the people seeking office and report them to the public. The light in which this media coverage portrays a given candidate can have an enormous, even decisive impact on their political fate. If candidates have skeletons in their closet that could influence the vote, the popular feeling is that America has a right to know.
But, what happens when America doesn’t trust the media?
In January, Pew Research released results of a study that found that Millennials’ views of news media are very critical, with 27% saying that it has a positive impact, down from 40% in 2010.
