Journalists do not provide a check against institutional abuses. When the Soviet Union <i>was</i> literally staging a holocaust in plain sight, the NYT lied to cover it up[1]. Walter Duranty still has a Pulitzer to his name for reports from the Soviet Union.<p>Supposedly the greatest triumph of journalism, lionized in a movie, uncovering of Watergate was done by an insider who just told the journalists. Nowadays, they&#x27;re not even necessary for this. I learned about Snowden leaks from here and Wikileaks. And then nothing happened.<p>The only reason I can see why people believe journalists are heroic fighters for truth, checks against tyranny, and so on is because they rely on journalists for stories about journalists.<p>[1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Denial_of_the_Holodomor#Walter_Duranty" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Denial_of_the_Holodomor#Walter...</a>