Elections are still being bought

Elections were bought and sold in the 1800s and now it seems to be true again in the 2000s, but the political landscape has changed. From news shows like Hannity (referred to in your editorial) to foreign governments intervening, more voices are rallying through the political machine than ever before.

Although the loosening of news parameters means that accusations of agenda-driven reporting can be levied at any news source, diversity of perspective within the news arena supports greater balance of ideas for the public to consider.

Welcoming diversity and balance into the news industry seems particularly apt at a time when mainstream media remains the leading source of news for search engines like Google, which was fined $2.7 billion for manipulating its search results.

You say the newspapers must reflect the views of the communities they serve, but many papers in our country have lost touch with their core readers to save what's left of print media. Meanwhile, media makers (like commercial television and cable) produce the content that garners attention, engaging more citizens in topics that are important to the future of our country and our world.

If media consumers are drawn to the message of dread, skepticism and cynicism fed to them by alternative news sources, it is for the same reason that dystopian fiction is so popular nowadays - It is a context where people can contain their fears and feelings of overwhelming powerlessness regarding the global state of environmental and political crisis.

Acknowledging the unavoidable subjectivity inherent in the picking and choosing of newsworthy content helps remind us that 100 percent objectivity is impossible, and that the ultimate goal of news reporting is to inspire positive change. So the real question is, how do we create a media environment that encourages reporting of facts that empower the public instead of controlling it?

Nechama Robinson

Campbell, California