Once upon a time, there were creatures called reporters.

[Cyrano]

They existed by the thousands. They were people who worked for newspapers, radio, TV and magazines. Their job was to learn what was happening in our town or city, our state, our country, the world -- and then to tell us about it.

One day, most of them vanished. Unlike the dinosaurs, they weren’t wiped out by a cataclysmic event such as a meteor. As a matter of fact, no one is sure what happened. In the blink of an eye, the majority of them just up and disappeared. There are rumors that many of them were devoured by demons who bought up their cubicles, but who knows?

Those reporters of a past era had cousins called columnists or pundits, many of whom survived the horrific destruction. No one knows how many of this particular species exist today. But the current qualification for most of these columnists/pundits seems to consist of lacking character and having values that make child-molesters look virtuous.

However, there are some of them who actually speak truth, exhibit outrage, and give us hope. There aren’t many, but they really do help keep us going. K.O., Paul Krugman, E.J. Dionne, Cynthia Tucker, Eric Alterman, Katrina vanden Heuvel, the much loved and departed Molly Ivins, Bill Moyers, Helen Thomas and so many more. And yet far too few.

We owe them so much. On many days when we are down, we might read or hear their words and are revitalized. And occasionally, when overcome by defeatism, their words inspire us and fill us with the courage and spirit to carry on.

Perhaps, some day in a sane future, there will be monuments to memorialize these heroes and heroines.

[blondeatlast]

1. There is hope, for there are the redeemed as well...

I offer David Schuster of MSNBC (formerly of FAUX) as proof.

No one--NO ONE knows more about the Plame leak and Administration involvement in it than he does.

[bryant69]

2. I find myself wondering how much is it the reporters fault

and how much is the editor's fault? I mean editors are supposed to reward good work, and punish lazy or slapdash work, right?

Bryant
Check it out --> http://politicalcomment.blogspot.com

[Cyrano]

4. I have it on good authority that the destruction took place on

"The Night of the Cubicle Gargoyles." Working reporters were snatched up, rendered to undisclosed locations, and replaced by Dilbert-like pods.


(On edit: Of course it's not the fault of the reporters. It is the intentional, malignant acts of the handful of corporations who today are the owners of the MSM -- with the exception of a few independent papers here and there who still speak truth to power.)

[DemGa]

3. I remember that time

They even used to do reports on the government; kind of like a "watchdog." They scattered when Bushco took ascendancy.

[Cyrano]

5. It actually started during the Reagan era and accelerated from there.

But trained, experienced reporters didn't "scatter." They either sold their souls to their corporate masters, tried their best to duck the hard decisions, or ended up on the unemployment line.

And the integrity of American journalism has been diminished ever since.

[eppur_se_muova]

6. The Old Timers in these parts still tell the old stories of such creatures.

But the young ones, they just laugh.