When does a newspaper stop serving the public-and begin serving only its owners, advertisers, and profits?
In this incisive essay from *Civilization in the United States*, critic and journalist John Macy examines the transformation of the American press from an independent public voice into a powerful commercial industry.
Macy argues that as newspapers grow into large business enterprises, journalism loses much of its intellectual freedom and professional dignity. Editors and reporters become anonymous employees, while advertising revenue, corporate ownership, and the need for mass circulation shape what may be investigated, challenged, or even discussed.
The result, he warns, is a press that rewards conformity. Radical ideas are softened, unpopular truths are avoided, and serious public debate gives way to safe opinions designed not to offend readers, owners, or advertisers. Yet Macy does not place responsibility solely on publishers. He also challenges the public whose habits and preferences sustain the very journalism it criticizes.
Originally published in 1922, *Journalism* is a sharp historical critique of commercial news, corporate influence, professional independence, and the uneasy relationship between the press and the society it claims to represent.
Thought-provoking and remarkably relevant, this concise essay invites listeners to reconsider who controls the news-and whose interests it ultimately serves.
Narrated by Brett Carter.
