>> The whole narrative that the media are the enemy of the people needs to die and soon or we will all regret it.

> It’s not clear to me that the press as an institution is still necessary in the age of the internet. It’s also not clear to me that the media, as it exists, deserves the protections that have developed over the years. The notion of writing articles that not only don’t cite sources, but keep them secret, is obsolete.

That's a strange worldview. The press is not limited to dead trees but has encompassed all media that can be used to perform journalism, including the internet. It's very much an essential component of democracy, because it is the only party that is not directly or indirectly part of the government, as such they are closure to 'us' the voters than any of the other components and that is something precious. They're not called the fourth estate for nothing.

> Americans no longer trust the press: https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2018/10/25/18022956/amazon-tru....

They've been screamed at for years by buffoons that have a vested interest in getting people not to trust the press, so that shouldn't surprise you. And while you are being distracted they make off with billions and more if they can.

> The top five were the military, Amazon, Google, local police, and colleges and universities. The bottom five were the press, the executive branch, Facebook, political parties, and Congress.

Yes, and that's sad. But again, not surprising.

> And with good reason: https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/a-certain-bloombe....

Talk about unbiased sources.

> While Trump has undoubtedly degraded the office of the President

No kidding. And besides that he's set back the United States about three decades in international relationships and harmed the planet in numerous ways. Whoever wanted those applecarts upset succeeded beyond their wildest imagination. And it isn't over yet, given the amount of fear in the American political system and the tendency to see personal gain as more important than the country or the planet there is a substantial chance you'll see another 5 years of this.

The damage is already larger than what will likely be recovered during my lifetime, if that happens we can add the lives of my children to that as well.

> the blatant politicization of the media in response to him has degraded the press just as much:

That happened well before Trump. Just tune in to Fox News ("Fair and Balanced", if you need to add that you know you're being taken for a ride) for a 1/2 hour if you can stomach it to see how far that BS has gone.

> https://www.dailywire.com/news/leaked-transcript-nyt-staff-m....

You do realize that you are quoting that very same press here to expose wrongdoing by one of their own?

> The fact that a press is necessary to a free society does not mean that this press is what should serve that function.

It's the best we've got. The only alternative that is viable would be to start something new. Some people are trying that, with mixed success, and the majority become part of the press establishment within a few years.

> In this day and age of universal literacy

Literacy is not enough. The ability to read does not yet equate to being a well informed voter. The degree to which people are willing to vote against their own interest never ceases to surprise me.

> and universal access to information via the Internet, we need reporting of facts, not self-appointed guardians of the “narrative.”

Yes, that would be nice. But it's a pipe dream that you'll get that off the ground in a vacuum. So it will have to be as an alternative to that which exists, it will have to be commercially viable and it will have to show that it is in for the long haul. And even then, people are lazy: they don't want just the facts, they want their thinking done for them, hence the 'editorial pages'.

> Go back and look at CNN tapes from the late 1980s or early 1990s. They’re unrecognizable compared to news broadcasts today. Neutral, unemotional, reporting of facts. No attempt to construct larger narratives or push them down viewers’ throats.

If you think CNN of the 90's is so good have a look at BBC news reporting from the same period.

CNN has always had a very clear slant: pro American. The whole idea that CNN was somehow neutral is hilarious. But it's still miles ahead of anything Fox, Breitbart, RT or any of the other fantasy news services spit out. You get the good with the bad. And that's fine. We still have some responsibility after all: read from multiple sources, try to remove the bias as much as possible and figure out what parts you want to believe. Follow the money and keep your eye firmly on those things that vested interest would like you to ignore.