Abby McCloskey, Dallas Morning News, September 30, 2024

You know that old cartoon with Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner? In nearly every episode, Coyote runs off of a cliff and continues running in the air. Then the music stops, and he freefalls with a whistle and a crash. That’s what trust in the press looks like these days. It’s not good for democracy.

In the mid-1970s, almost three-quarters of Americans had a great deal or fair amount of trust in media, including newspapers, TV and radio, according to Gallup. By 2016, that number had flipped. Less than a third of Americans trust the press this election cycle — a historic low.

It seems like we are living through the most dramatic transformation in the press in history, save for perhaps the printing press. It has happened subtly and quickly, like the ground coming out from under Coyote’s feet…..