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.