I think we're lost in what, I believe it was Whitman or Thoreau
called the "mere smoke of opinion." The news is about what people want
to keep hidden, everything else is publicity. And people don't want to
keep their opinions hidden, but they want to keep the facts hidden.
And it takes a lot of money, and a lot of time, and a lot of effort to
go and explore the facts and bring them out.
So, a lot of news organizations, they no longer do much reporting;
they simply rely on opinion, talk, all of that. and that undermines
journalism. The other thing is, we're amusing ourselves to death! It's
all about entertainment.
-- Bill Moyers, interviewed by Jon Stewart, The Daily Show,
June 2, 2011.