"...do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic..."

"For the good of the Air Force, for the good of the armed services and for the good of our country, I urge you to reject convention and careerism..."
- Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, Maxwell AFB, April 21, 2008

"You will need to challenge conventional wisdom and call things like you see them to subordinates and superiors alike."
- Secretary of Defense Robert Gates, United States Air Force Academy, March 4, 2011

Friday, June 21, 2013

The Fourth Estate


In previous posts I've discussed the increasing importance of the internet as a key to the struggle of ideas.  Journalism, which has changed significantly in my lifetime, is sometimes referred to as the Fourth Estate and is a vital component of a free society and democracy.  It's likely not coincidence that the freedom of the press was enshrined in our very first amendment in our Bill of Rights.  Unfortunately, as I look around the internet and listen in to conversations, I can easily see the root of so many of our problems as a nation.  People are quite simply uninformed and there has been a serious degradation in the quality of debate and discussion among Americans.  It seems to me that a large part of this is the result of corporate owned media that has replaced professional ethics in the pursuit of financial gains.

One investigative journalist, Ben Swann, is attempting to break away from the corporate owned and managed media style, to instead report directly and objectively to the people.  He is using a grass roots campaign in this attempt, and anybody interested can read more about it on the Liberty is Rising Truth in Media Project at KickStarter.Com.

I think it's worth checking out.  The Fourth Estate is critically important for the security of America.

No comments:

Post a Comment