I mention the now iconic news show for a specific reason: it marked the end of legitimate news coverage. William Paley was the head of news programming for CBS. He came upon a novel idea…turn the news division from a loss leader to a profit maker. In so doing, it changed the way news is reported on the air and not for the better. Once it became clear that 60 Minutes was a hit, the floodgates opened to a new generation of news shows, not newscasts. A firm tenet of news was always that the facts were the stars, not the reporters and in fact the reporter should never inject himself or herself into the story.

Now, reporters are celebrities. They make in the millions to sit behind a desk and tell us what’s up. But it’s slippery now because it is increasingly difficult to determine what are the hard facts and what is a version based on the reporter’s opinion. So what has transpired is a deepening of the divide between left and right because what is reported, or more importantly not reported, is so biased to attract an audience.

Here is the irony behind the Trump phenomena. He’s president because he caught the bulk of media attention, whether good or bad (after all, there’s no such thing as bad publicity), and capitalized on the media’s greed. It takes a rat to smell one. So the answer as to why the media twist and turn on every word, every tweet, is the lust for a buck. And we see it in every element of our society. And no matter how much discussion ensues around the news tables about why the media doesn’t hold Trump responsible for his lies and actions, or why they ask questions but don’t do the follow up gotcha, would be to admit that it’s all about money and the money follows Trump.

And now Trump turns on the media, calling them “the enemy of the people” not because he believes it, but because it serves his purpose. He would prefer to control all media content to make it only favorable to him, but the truth of it is that he needs the attention only the media can provide. In some ways he has outgrown them, having created enough of an enduring fascination that merely the mention of his name provokes an immediate attraction.

Recall that the role of media as the 5th estate is to ideally be a coequal partner in the governing process. They are the eyes and ears of the rest of us who cannot be present at the seat of government while decisions are made that will irrevocably affect our lives. They are supposed to be extensions of the greater us, but instead have become not us but them. They have lost the ability to be credible in the pursuit of money, power and greed.

It is not surprising that Americans are fed up. But to give up means to give in to some dog and pony, flim flam, con artist celebrity du jour and risk losing it all. Stay strong. Vote.