“The decline and fall of Rupert Murdoch has more twists and turns than a colonoscopy: the closing of the 168-year-old News of the World; the resignation of two of his top executives and four Scotland Yard officials; the death of the whistle-blower who set the disasters in motion. And this week, the billionaire was hit with a pie plate full of white foam as he testified before a committee of Parliament.

“Watching the scandals unfold is currently a spectator sport in the United States. This will change if it turns out that scoop-hungry News Corp reporters hacked the phones of 9/11 victims.

“But even if the Murdochs emerge relatively unscathed here, the scandal provides an urgent reminder that Americans need to understand the state (and likely fate) of journalism – and consider the consequences of inaction.

“In her 1993 Nobel Prize lecture, author Toni Morrison spoke of “the faux-language of mindless media” that “moves relentlessly toward the bottom line and the bottomed-out mind.”

“She was referring, of course, to shorter stories to accommodate shorter attention spans; increased time and space for opinion at the expense of more authoritative, non-partisan sources of information; the “celebrification” of the news; the cozy relationship between politicians and publishers; and the “monopolization” of news outlets.” Read the full article here.