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by profit driven forces, and this has given rise to another core principle of market dynamics: the niche.

News sources have now adapted to niche markets across the political spectrum, serving up a variety of red meat that will capture brand loyalty in much the same way that a company sells cars or an airline sells tickets. From a profit driven standpoint, it no longer makes sense to be all things to all people because such an irresponsible lack of focus (on facts, no less) will only serve to erode market share. In the end, there is no mainstream, there are only revenue streams.

One of our nation's foundational ethics is that of personal responsibility, an obligation that must go hand-in-hand with the freedom granted by our constitution if we are to maintain a civilized society. A critical part of this responsibility is the obligation to make informed judgments within a world of cacophonous and contradictory free speech. But we have forsaken this responsibility we have instead selected a designated truth-teller for our niche so that we can focus on important issues like Britney Spears' driving habits or Paris Hilton's once-claimed humanitarian work with drunken elephants.

Somewhere deep within the money chasing maelstrom of messages is the truth, but the cumulative effect is, in many ways, no different than the intervention I experienced from the Chinese government. Like our Chinese counterparts, we no longer require an objective, unequivocal truth, stripped entirely of its political and economic interests.

And so naturally, we will only be given the facts we are entitled to.

Learn more about this author, Kevin Donovan.
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