We’ve entered into a time when hardly anyone feels like the media should be trusted to tell us the truth about anything. Pretty much everyone looks at news sources with a wary eye, and according to a recent Gallup poll, the media has never been so low in terms of favorability.

Prager U recently decided to tackle the subject and explore the reason why. Judith Miller, Editor of City Journal, discusses why this is happening, and tells us some very interesting facts.

For one, the media has turned away from the objective journalism of the past. Giving way, instead, to a bias that puts feelings before facts. Since most journalists tend to lean to the left, these biases turn off those who don’t share their viewpoints, and so they go find journalistic outlets that do. This creates a further rift in the media, with one side calling the other a liar, and their viewers following suit.

Furthermore, the internet has given way to the citizen journalist, where everyone can be a news source if they have the time. This has both a positive, and negative effect. The positive is that news is spread quickly, and widely. The negative is that the quality of the reporting takes a dive. Stories can sometimes be misconstrued, incomplete, or sometimes outright fabrications.

But many news outlets are now focused on what gets clicks. In a way, journalists have to cater to the sensational, because without it, no one will click. The objective, boring story elicits no interest, and so the more exciting the headline, and intense the take, the more attention it generates.

In a way, the current state of the media is our fault. We want to be entertained by our media, almost as much – if not more – than we are informed by it. It allows us to further entertain others. It generates interesting things to talk about. It allows us an avenue for us to express our own opinions, and this age of social media, this has become a favorite pastime of the first world.

So much relies on the current state of our media, and all the while, it’s destroying itself. Perhaps one day, objectivity may came back into vogue, but right now, especially during this election, that day may be far off.