However the last 2 years have seen major problems arise for both the print and broadcast industries. Newspapers have seen year on year declines of up to 10% in circulation and this can be seen in demise of the Finnish newsprint mills. Mainstream TV channels have seen a similar dissipation of their audiences and falls in ad revenue.

They've come up with 3 solutions: go downmarket, get interactive or put up firewalls/monetize some content. Or all three. One and Three are not going to work for the mainstream media: catering to pond life is a dead end street, and, as we are all aware, hiding content that was previously available for free only works if you have a monopoly on the content.

Solution number 2 leads to the 'setting them up for a fall' method which you point out. The online versions of the msm think that by polarizing their audiences in setting up celebrity and shooting it down, they will create a lively debate among different sections of their audience. What they get is acres and acres of uninformed and tiresome ranting = another dead end street.

It's all about celebrity today: politicians, CEOs, and heads of state have joined the traditional celebs. It is a weird and unprecedented mass obsession. I really don't know where it will lead, but it won't be a good place.

You can't be me, I'm taken