The fourth estate

~ paeansunplugged

What was once a given

is now suspect

A completely dispassionate reporting

accountability to the public

is a daffy idea now

The watchdog has become a gazelle

giving in to the temptation of greed

falling nothing short of sycophancy

A handmaiden of the powerful

the press goes off on a tangent

on issues germane

Gone are the days of all or nothing

suffering from a crisis of identity

it equates patriotism with obfuscation.

30 thoughts on “The fourth estate”

  5. You’ve hit the nail on the head with this one. It’s either propaganda or opinion totally false. And the ones that do speak the truth are being vilified and discredited.

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  8. A handmaiden of the powerful
    the press goes off on a tangent

    I associated these two lines with each other and the resulting image was powerful, mouthpieces that speak like puppets – your poetic lines cut and present such truth

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      1. no it holds no power any longer. have you watched the movie THE POST? I strongly recommend if you are interested about honest journalism and the era around the Nixon trials. A well dramatised movie with superb dialogue and well loved actors.

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  10. “The watchdog has become a gazelle

    giving in to the temptation of greed“

    So well said. It feels like the basic values of humanity like truth, kindness and compassion have become secondary. Great poem Punam ❤️❤️

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