What Americans Really Need

To be more informed and less entertained

Robert Kennedy once allegedly commented that Americans are not well informed, but they are highly entertained. He had no idea how right he was. He died long before the internet, social media, and — perhaps most significant — reality television. Whatever condition he might have detected was certainly trivial compared to what we have today.

Today, what passes for news is not necessarily news — researched, reviewed, and screened by curious editors and cautious attorneys. Rather it is more than…