Commentator: Many social critics claim that contemporary journalists' cynical tendency to look for selfish motives behind the seemingly altruistic actions of powerful people undermines our society' s well-being by convincing people that success is invariably associated with greed and mendacity. But the critics' claim is absurd. The cynicism of contemporary journalists cannot be a contributing factor to the undermining of our society' s well-being, for journalists have always been cynics. Today' s journalists are, if anything, more restrained than their predecessors. The reasoning in the commentator's argument is most vulnerable to criticism on the grounds that it overlooks the possibility that ['the work of contemporary journalists reflects a cynicism that is not really genuine', 'widespread cynicism is beneficial to the well-being of society', 'cynicism of this type on the part of journalists has always had a negative effect on the well-being of society', 'cynicism about the motives of powerful people increases with the amount of information one has about them']