Passing Dreams

Americans don’t seem to trust anyone these days. Certainly not politicians or government agencies. Not big oil or big pharma or big boxes. Or insurance companies and telemarketers.

Even journalists are viewed with a jaundiced eye. Public trust in the media continues to be near its lowest ever.

Some in the media have blamed the public for journalism’s low standing. They argue that people don’t want the truth anymore. Instead they want a highly spun take on the “news” so that it conforms to the views they already hold.

That may be true, especially in the cable industry, where what is reported and how is determined by the social, political and cultural views of the provider.

Also true, though, is that journalism often is stuck in a catch-22. When high-profile or high-ranking personalities say something, journalists report what was said, even if it’s not true.

But they’re not reporting that the information is true, they’re just reporting that a newsworthy person, a president or former president or congressional leader, says it’s true.

That’s appropriate journalism. When Mr. Big says something big, responsible journalists will report that he said it, true, false or in between.

That’s the defense that Fox News is arguing in a $1.6 billion lawsuit brought by Dominion Voting Systems, which says Fox repeatedly reported that the company was involved in a large plot to steal the 2020 election from Donald Trump.

There really is no question that Fox over and...

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