Anyone who cares about the role of the media should watch the PBS show "Buying the War" which will air next Thursday. E&P has seen and writes this review. I've said before that the failure of the MSM to serve as an aggressive check on power, and to use its prestige and resources to do the kind of accurate reporting we've depended on in the past was a huge credibility hit to them and can be directly linked to the rise in influence of bloggers and other forms of media. Make no mistake -- the wave of new influencers was coming, but it was certainly hastened by the very public failure of the institutions we'd come to trust.
The lack of self reflection and internal criticism among the media remains high. As the article notes:
At the close, Moyers mentions some of the chief proponents of the war who refused to speak to him for this program, including Thomas Friedman, Bill Kristol, Roger Ailes, Charles Krauthammer, Judith Miller, and William Safire.
Wow. The question of who will watch the watchers has been answered. The 4th Estate is watched by the 5th estate, and a dose of accountability is a Very Good Thing.