How the Fourth Estate Morphed Into a Fifth Column |
How the Fourth Estate Morphed Into a Fifth Column
Times and attitudes shifted, but in 2026 the mainstream, broadcast, print, and entertainment media still persist in making excuses for unhinged acts, particularly in major metropolitan areas.
Mark E. Zimmerman | April 25, 2026
“Maybe it's the time of year, maybe it's the time of man.” Crosby Stills and Nash must have been peering over a distant horizon some 50 years ago when they penned those lyrics looking toward 2026. Indeed, the times do seem to have hit an inflection point and are reverting to the sanity side of the U.S. cultural spectrum, at least for a substantial segment of the American populace.
Looking back on that era, one of the most heralded historical dramas of the 1960s was Bonnie and Clyde. Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty depicted the protagonists as they rampaged across America, robbing banks, murdering, and kidnapping during the 1930s Great Depression. For most, venerating those who participated in heinous activities would be repulsive. However, to generate box office revenue and audience sympathies, producers went out of their way to portray the vicious criminals as just tragic castoffs from society rather than concentrating on the murderous thieves that they were. Besides, Bonnie and Clyde had their reasons.
Hardly noticed at that time was a general subtext that emerged from this film: morality was actually ambiguous; apparently there were no clear lines between right and wrong, so situational ethics became reasonable.
Coincidently, American news organizations took notice of how elevating those anti-heroes, who had turned their backs on societal norms and rejecting the status quo, titillated the public. Newsrooms that decided to adopt this approach suddenly generated higher profits. Lesser-known news organizations and publications went even further to include blatantly deceitful news reports in hopes of increasing readership.
Times and attitudes shifted, but in 2026 the mainstream, broadcast, print, and entertainment media still persist in making excuses for unhinged acts, particularly in major metropolitan areas. Why? It is a desperate bid to retain what remains of preserving their philosophies and advertising revenue. They hang on by normalizing........