Social origins of press cynicism in portraying politics

Scholars and journalists both confirm that the U.S. news media have grown i ncreasingly cynical in portraying politics over the past generation. There is an antipolitics bias as well as a corporate tilt toward infotainment. Bu t why? This article argues that journalists' apparent cynicism stems from t he same factors that have made news increasing plentiful, credible, and ana lytical. These factors include journalists' declining deference to authorit y, greater professionalism, growing emphasis on thematic coherence, and gre ater insistence on providing coherent and comprehensive news.