Overcoming Cynicism Amidst Ethical Lapses in American Government and the News Business‪.‬

This paper examines how the free press theories espoused by John Milton and Thomas Jefferson have been undermined not only by ethical lapses in American government but also by the evolution of news media organizations into corporate entities that pursue financial profit at the expense of their social responsibility to serve public interests. The resulting loss of citizen trust in both their government and news media institutions has led to cynicism and hampered the ability of citizens to make informed judgments as participants in their democracy. Although news media have been traditionally expected to serve as watchdogs over government as the so-called "fourth estate" in the political checks and balances system in the United States, examples of ethical breaches by journalists and government entities are cited.