Network, the previous contender, looks like Aladdin in comparison. Stone not only holds the press in general, and television in particular, responsible for American violence, but places journalists several moral rungs below its most vicious practitioners. A generation ago, Americans shared common media, more or less. Almost everyone read daily papers, watched the networks, or poured over the newsweeklies. That universality has been shattered, probably for good.
Information now splits along demographic, political, and cultural fault lines.
We all look into our separate mirrors now and mostly see only ourselves looking back. Increasingly, groups divided by such things as gender and age are drawn to media that they believe reflect their own values. Kids play computer games, watch cable, and read niche magazines. African Americans have turned to their own magazines and listen to their own talk shows. O.J. This has not been a peaceful evolution.