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Yes, the problem is that this is a sacred duty in support of democracy, that has to be held by a solemn and sworn priesthood. And its orders have been thoroughly infiltrated and its mission twisted, not that they were ever too resistant to influence. We are after all asking people to hold massive influence, by delegating them as our eyes, ears and voice, and expecting them to never ever use that power to further their own goals. And then we pay them poorly, fail to punish them when they fail their duty and even reward them when they do fail in a way that flatters us. It's no wonder that with human nature being what it is and incentives being this grossly misaligned, journalism ends up being what Hunter S. Thompson described as "not a profession or a trade. It is a cheap catch-all for fuckoffs and misfits—a false doorway to the backside of life, a filthy piss-ridden little hole nailed off by the building inspector, but just deep enough for a wino to curl up from the sidewalk and masturbate like a chimp in a zoo-cage."
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