Consortium News has a well-written and interesting article about the rise of "patriotic" journalism at the expense of skeptical journalism. The coverage of Iran-Contra is particularly interesting, since I was young enough to be pretty new to thinking about politics while that was unfolding.

I was already pretty cynical about the Reagan administration by that time -- I thought the popularity and prosperity was all smoke and mirrors, and Reagan the (admittedly charming) magician misdirecting us. Look over there! No, not here, there! This was mostly because of his attempts to move us backward environmentally, my sense that his policies were manufacturing temporary prosperity at the expense of long-term economic viability, and my disgust that our commitment to "freedom" and "democracy" in foreign nations was really code for "installing governments sympathetic to American interests without regard to how badly they treat their own people." Which mostly translated to: "Left wing despots baaaaad. Right wing despots gooooood." (You're supposed to say that in a sheep voice, like in that Animal Farm cartoon)

The Iran-Contra affair was when I realized how corrupt and partisan our country, particularly the church, had become. The Iran-Contra affair was when, in my heart, I dropped out of my parents' church, after being led in a group prayer for "Oliver North, that great, Godly man." That was when I first identified the widely-applied, "it's okay if you're a Republican" double standard.

So it's interesting to revisit that moment in historical context. I still don't like where it's led us.