"We are cleverly entertained during our descent."

Chris Hedges—foreign correspondent and author—has written the one essay that anyone concerned with the future of journalism should read. Opinion is not news, reporting is difficult and costly, and gossip and ideology are not going to inform anyone about anything.

"Newspapers, when well run, are a public trust. They provide, at their best, the means for citizens to examine themselves, to ferret out lies and the abuse of power by elected officials and corrupt businesses, to give a voice to those who would, without the press, have no voice, and to follow, in ways a private citizen cannot, the daily workings of local, state and federal government. Newspapers hire people to write about city hall, the state capital, political campaigns, sports, music, art and theater."

Read it twice.