S8 E5: Follow the Money

The modern ideal of journalistic neutrality functions as a historical anomaly rather than a foundational standard. Historically, news media—from 16th-century European pamphlets to 18th-century American revolutionary newspapers—openly embraced partisan advocacy to advance religious, political, and social agendas. This shift toward objectivity emerged primarily as a byproduct of the 19th-century transition to commercial business models, where newspapers prioritized advertising revenue over democratic civic engagement. Early American leaders like Thomas Jefferson viewed the press as a necessary public good, supporting its dissemination through heavy postal subsidies. However, the rise of the Gilded Age and the dominance of advertising-driven profit models transformed readers from citizens into consumers. This evolution reveals that the current media landscape is not an inevitable outcome but a result of specific policy choices and power dynamics that have consistently distorted the role of information in society.