There's this idea that Democracy and Journalism are intrinsically linked (thanks John Milton), but they're not. Look at the history of Democracy (by that of course we mean representative democracy): it has existed long before, and independent from, Journalism. Then look at the history of Journalism: it has always been a partisan affair, funded, written, and published by people who want to get their own point across. The idea that truth emerges from freedom of speech ignores the fact that the speaker can lie, or that different people view different things as true.

The romantic idea of Journalism as a bastion of Democracy conveniently ignores the facts. Democracy is a form of Government, and Government is power exerted on people. You don't get more power or influence because you heard about a thing happening. And most people will never do anything about what they hear. The real purpose of Journalism is to galvanize the public's feelings based on a selective viewpoint towards a specific aim. An article is written, using selective information, presented in a particular way, in order to effect a change the writer wants. If effective, the writer gets what they want, or something close to it.

Journalism is just another form of power. But it's not power of the people. It's power using the people. You and the rest of the people have no power of your own. But as a group, the people are wielded by institutions (Journalism, Religion, Party, Industry, Culture, etc) to act on behalf of those institutions. The group can try to push back on power. But without organization, leadership, clear goals, and strong motivation, there's no effective opposition. So occasionally the group will take on these qualities, and becomes... another institution, wielding power to get its way. And as a group with power, the results are not always positive for everyone (see: Anti-Saloon League, National Federation of Parents for Drug-Free Youth, etc)