Reporters Once Challenged the Spy State. Now, They're Agents of It

When I see the former intelligence officials mugging on the news, I can't help but think that their vanity compromised them and their former organizations and wonder how hard it was for adversaries to install their agents in our institutions merely by using guys like them who were so susceptible to being seduced by flattery. It's as though bringing down the Iron Curtain was a masterstroke that unleashed the entire culture of centralized bureaucratic authoritarianism and party elitism into western institutions like universities, NGOs, public service, law, unions, and international orgs.

The greatest trick they played was convincing us they didn't exist.

The enemy of my enemy is my ally and the power structures in both media and government both fear populism.

Details are not irrelevant, but the general trend is that the powers that be in both media and government have come under threat recently from external populists enabled by mass market tech platforms. Career politicians fear getting ousted by upstarts who know how to wield twitter. Career talking heads (excuse me "analysts") fear getting ousted by upstart talking heads on YouTube. They're now allied with each other in the fight against the unwashed masses.

The Mass Media seems to have become a part of the government, rather than separate from the government.