That takes us to: journalism’s information monopoly is over. Thanks to social media and the democratizing influence of the Internet, journalism has lost its prized gatekeeper function. This loss of dominance is what Andrew Heywood, former VP of CBS News, mourned when he admitted, “The era of omniscience [for the news media] is over.”
Of course, that is not the only problem journalism faces. As data shows, Americans have turned their backs on the press. Sixty-eight percent of Americans now say they have little or no trust in the press, according to Gallup, which has tracked response to this question annually since 1997.
The press treats polls as hard news, but will not touch its own sinking poll numbers, which have been declining for 20 years (long before President Trump’s election). Gallup calls that “a stunning development for an institution designed to inform the public.” Polls often make “front page” news — except this one. Why?
