LESAProject

Once upon a time, the press was a mighty weapon against the established power structure. British politician Edmund Burke allegedly dubbed it the Fourth Estate because it sat in contrast to the three established estates of power in 18th century England—the clergy, House of Nobles, and House of Commons.

Upon seeing the press gallery, history tells us Burke said, "Yonder sits the Fourth Estate, and they are more important than them all."

It's a damn shame modern journalism isn't taking Burke's words to heart.

Instead, the powers-that-be have given themselves over to a monetary lust that grows stronger with each penny dropped in the larder. They've sacrificed progress born of integrity at the altar of the almighty dollar.

Somewhere along the way, it was decided that the revenue would dictate the angle as much (if not more so) than the possibility of engendering productive dialogue, which sits as the most hallowed consequence of true journalism.

Regardless of the lurid, sensational content and the fact that more substantive issues are bypassed in favor of the lower hanging financial fruit.