For much of the twentieth century, newspaper editors and broadcast producers functioned as the undisputed (0) GATEKEEPERS (GATE) of public information. Their authority rested on professional norms and on a tacit contract of 1CREDIBLE with the audience. Today, however, that contract is badly frayed. Social platforms allow anyone to publish instantaneously, and traditional outlets find themselves competing for attention against content that makes no pretence of 2PARTIAL. Some commentators argue that the real threat is not outright falsehood but the steady drift towards 3SENSATION, a style of reporting that rewards outrage and punishes nuance. Others contend that the industry has simply ceased to be 4ACCOUNT for its choices, having shed the editorial hierarchies that once imposed discipline. What is beyond dispute is that serious 5INVESTIGATE journalism has suffered disproportionately from the collapse of classified advertising revenue. Fewer foreign 6CORRESPOND report from fewer places, and much of the remaining coverage has drifted towards 7ADVOCATE rather than reporting in the classical sense. Unless fresh funding models emerge, the current trajectory looks increasingly 8SUSTAIN.