As long as for-profit media has access to the broadcast spectrum in a way that non-profit, independent media does not, our 5th estate will be subject to pervers

As long as for-profit media has access to the broadcast spectrum in a way that non-profit, independent media does not, our 5th estate will be subject to perverse incentives that favor "click-based" content. We made a choice, in this country, to give away our spectrum to the highest bidder, no questions asked. We used to restrict programs that called themselves "news" to have to present a balanced, reality-grounded perspective, but by the early 90s fear of alternatives like the internet provided the fodder to dismantle that regulation. It wasn't necessarily bad foresight either. These days, influencers on YouTube regularly get the same viewership that cable news does. Only very recently[1] have we begun to grapple with the social decay and radicalization that results when their engagement-optimization algorithm meets vulnerable folks. Try searching for historical, economic or political content and see how quickly Related Videos draws you down a conspiracy theory rabbit hole. 1. https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/youtube-announces-it-will-no-longer-recommend-conspiracy-videos-n969856 https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/tech-news/youtube-announces-it-...