They are all in lock step because they are all bought and paid for, they are nothing more than pure propaganda.

Even down to the paused moments and head nodding in agreement. This does not happen by coincidence or by happenstance, nor is it because they are all parroting the same news feed from the White House or some underground conspiracy. Nope, sadly it is much worse, they are all in lock step because they are all bought and paid for, they are nothing more than pure propaganda. This essay will further explore the trials and tribulations the US press has had to endure in its short history and how it has gone from a free and objective institution to a tightly controlled and Corporate media monopoly.

The United States has a long and proud tradition of a free and objective press. From the days of the Revolutionary War, when pamphleteers such as Thomas Paine and Benjamin Franklin spread their ideas across the colonies, to the present day, the press has played a vital role in American society. However, in recent years, this proud tradition has come under attack from corporate interests and the government.

The First Amendment to the Constitution guarantees freedom of the press, and for most of American history, this has been taken to mean that the press should be free from government interference. However, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the government began to take a more active role in regulating the press. The 1917 Espionage Act and the 1918 Sedition Act made it a crime to publish material that was critical of the government or that might encourage people to disobey the draft. These laws were used to prosecute people like Socialist leader Eugene Debs and anti-war activist Robert Goldstein.

In the 1920s, the government took another step towards controlling the press when it began requiring radio stations to obtain a license from the Federal Radio Commission (FRC). The FRC had the power to revoke a station's license if it did not adhere to the government's rules, which included a ban on broadcasting 'obscene, indecent, or profane language.'

The Great Depression also saw a number of changes to the American press. In 1933, President Franklin Roosevelt created the Works Progress Administration (WPA), which subsidized newspapers and magazines that were struggling financially. The WPA also paid journalists to write pro-government propaganda.

After World War II, the American government continued to try to control the press. In 1948, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) was created. The FCC had the power to revoke the licenses of radio and television stations that did not follow the government's rules.

In the 1950s, the government also began to pressure the media to conform to its ideology. In 1954, the Army-McCarthy hearings were held to investigate whether the Army had communist spies in its ranks. During the hearings, Army lawyer Joseph Welch asked Senator Joseph McCarthy, 'Have you no sense of decency, sir, at long last? Have you left no sense of decency?' McCarthy's aggressive questioning of witnesses and his attacks on the press led to his downfall, but the damage to the press had been done.

The 1960s saw a more open and critical press, as journalists began to challenge the government on its policies in Vietnam and civil rights. However, the 1970s saw a return to government control, as the FCC began to issue rules that limited the content of radio and television broadcasts. These rules were challenged in court, but in 1978, the Supreme Court upheld the FCC's authority to regulate the airwaves.

The 1980s and 1990s saw a further consolidation of the media, as large corporations began to buy up smaller media outlets. This trend was accelerated by the Telecommunications Act of 1996, which deregulated the media industry. As a result of this consolidation, a small number of corporations now control the majority of the media in the United States.

The 21st century has seen the continued rise of the corporate media and the government's efforts to control the press. In 2001, the government implemented the USA PATRIOT Act, which limited the press's ability to report on the government's war on terror. In 2009, the Obama administration issued new guidelines that made it easier for the government to prosecute leaks of classified information.

The American press is now facing its greatest challenge yet. Will it be able to maintain its independence, or will it succumb to the pressure from the government and the corporate interests that control the media? Only time will tell.