Is hard-hitting, authentic, independent journalism currently increasing in America? The world? Is there no change? Or is it declining? Please expand on your answer.
In the U.S., in the 1980's Reagan ended the "Fairness Doctrine", and the news departments that used to be independent and separate from other departments was reclassified as "entertainment". Advertisers soon started to influence what was or wasn't covered on the news, and hard hitting investigative journalism is almost dead in America, and is, as far as i can tell, still declining.
Edward R. Morrow, would not be hired as a journalist today, because he had too much integrity to work in the field as it is today.
I think its increasing. MSNBC, CNN and the major 3 Networks check and double check on any stories by NY Times, Washinton Post and Wall St. Journal. PBS is also reliable. Not so Fox News-faux news. I'm a news junkie. I feel good journalism is increasing in this trump alternative facts world.
I don't think it's on an up swing so much as mainstream media has completely sold out to ratings. Mainstream media covers every single fart or regurgitated bit of crap trump spews forth. It is disgusting. There is alot of articles and writers with a slant to the left on facebook. I enjoyed salon.com, alternet, etc. I am hoping the poor leadership we currently labor under gives rise to REAL change in Congress and the Senate this year.
It seems like more mainstream media is getting out of the false dichotomy that you need to hear from 'both' sides and are willing to call a lie a lie. However the splintering of the population into various echo chambers where many lies avoid challenge continues.
Real journalism is on the decline in the USA. None of the media invest in real investigative journalism as they did in the 1960s and 1970s. On too many media, the majority of what one sees consists of talking heads and obsession on a single topic (while ignoring other news).
Fox "News" bears absolutely no semblance to real journalism.
I don't know factually, but IMO it has been on the increase for at least the last couple of years. In 2016, especially, with both the presidential race and the events at Standing Rock.