In a representative democracy, public opinion is important. In ensuring that the public is informed, the media continues to play a crucial role. It is assumed that the media, at least the responsible media, will always seek to inform the people on all relevant matters in such a democracy. As the London Times declared as long ago as 1851, “The first duty of the press is to obtain the earliest and most correct intelligence of the events of the time, and instantly, by disclosing them, to make them the common property of the nation.” A corollary of this traditional view is that while the responsible media are entitled to their views, their readers, listeners, and viewers must be able to distinguish between fact and comment. “Comment is free, but facts are sacred.” Nevertheless, over the last four years, the American mainstream media have conducted a campaign centred on what is …