I saw this piece in Politico about how American journalism seems to be losing a quality that carried it through a century and a half of trials: its swagger.

The story says, “Swagger is the conformity-killing practice of journalism, often done in defiance of authority and custom, to tell a true story in its completeness, no matter whom it might offend. It causes some people to subscribe and others to cancel their subscriptions, and gives journalists the necessary courage and direction to do their best work.”

That is so true.

Look at local TV news….

Stations are so afraid to piss off viewers or, more importantly, advertisers that the newscasts have no bite.

Back in the day, no one from sales was allowed to enter the newsroom. Now, sales and news work hand in hand to do stories that the advertiser will like.

The Politico story writes, “Treading softly so as not to rile anybody, these editors impose that style on their journalists, many of whom do their work in a defensive crouch instead of the traditional offensive stance.”

Many of Today’s Journalists and the bosses that oversee them are plain wimps. People who are just trying to keep a job and not make waves.

Journalism needs the people that aren’t afraid to make waves, but those people are so hard to find.