See also: A growing sense that we're not getting the turth about Boston bombing

The mainstream media have once again eroded their own credibility in reporting the Boston bombing, and they know it. Yesterday, for example, CNN repeatedly reported an arrest, even after it was denied. In a remarkable post by Dylan Byers of Politico, an unnamed television executive is quoted:

While it's a shame that credible "old media" organizations can blow something as big as this, it's equally a shame that the twitterverse, blogosphere, etc, feels the need to dance on their graves.

The snark on Twitter has reached new heights... it's not about getting to the truth or serving the public good, it's about who can make the wittiest joke to impress their friends. This is an important story for the nation, and reporters from organizations new and old are trying to cover it. People make mistakes.

But, the Fourth Estate, flawed though it is, was set-up to be a watchdog for the Republic. Is there now a Fifth Estate -- the social media universe that purports to be keeping an eye on the Fourth estate but really is just looking out for themselves?

Get used to it, guys. The internet is a two-way, fully accessible medium, so the old gatekeepers no longer monopolize the keys to a broad public. And, as for "looking out for themselves," well that's human nature, isn't it? Our founders knew all about it, and therefore designed a system of checks and balances. It is only left wing utopians who put their faith in wise leaders, the kind who used to determine what is and what isn't news through monopoly newspapers and the oligopoly of three television networks. It is much easier on governments and media overlords when there is no competition, no breach in the liberal cofferdams that define what is and isn't worth coverage, what can and can't be mentioned.

The fact is that the legacy media were never the pobjective purveyors of fact they pretended to be. The public is rightly angry and suspiciouos, so much so that used car dealersare just about the only profession held in greater distrust. If the MSMers want more respect, they coudl start by admitting their liberal bias.