>>>Except that media weren't one of the pillars of democracy for the Greeks. The system of checks and balances seems to be scorned these days.
>
>I didn't mean to ignore this point, which is well taken.
>
>Returning to our state/local situation, the state/local media here is a key ingredient in the process. It takes that role seriously.


Not anymore! Might want to read up on Sinclair Broadcast Group -- so much for our 'local news' media ... which is a real shame for all the reasons I'm sure you know.

>National TV and radio "News" shows, however, have moved on from reporting news to telling us what they think of the news and what they think about what other people think about the news. People must want that stuff, or they wouldn't be serving it up.