The media industrial-complex, the fuel of Richard Nixon’s hate, bane of American politicians, and the definition of opinionated news. But to know what the media industrial-complex is, we must first understand what the media is. Oxford Languages describes the media as “The main means of mass communication.”

The media industrial-complex is known by many names. For some it’s fake news, for others it’s just another aspect of free speech. However, one thing is certain, it is the unholy alliance between opinion and facts. It is when the news reports feelings over the truth.

This is most prevalent in the divisive issue of our time, politics. Politics are already very divisive, but news channels profit from it. They make money off of fueling hatred between fellow Americans. Today, it is the single biggest threat to our nation.

It is vital that Americans know where to get their information. They must not listen to what the left or right says about news as they can be very opinionated.

For the left, reliable news is CNN or MSNBC. They find people such as Rachel Maddow and Bill Maher trustworthy. Whereas the right finds Fox News trustworthy. They trust people like Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity. It seems that local news is consistently the most reliable when it comes to reporting the facts.

Local news usually tells the facts without falsely elaborating. I believe all reporters should strive to be like Walter Cronkite. Throughout his career as a journalist he was known as “The most honest man in America.”

In conclusion, the media industrial-complex is the most powerful institution of man in history. For example, any government has its limits, fake news does not. It will most likely fuel another American Civil War.

We must choose not to surrender to it, but to actively fight against it and its effects. The complex supplements the infinite struggle between Left vs. Right and Neighbor on Neighbor. It makes us forget we are not just Democrats or Republicans. We must realize we are all Americans.

— Easton Witte, 11 years old

Hustonville, Kentucky