There is a profound change underway in America that few citizens understand. The way news is being consumed is drastically different than just ten years ago, and that does NOT bode well for the United States.

Some history. Hitler, Stalin, and Mao all consolidated power by eliminating a free press. That situation remains today in China and Russia. Folks in those countries have no idea what's going on. They hear and read what the dictators allow.

The American Constitution protects freedom of information, but President John Adams did manage to get a law passed saying that criticism of his Federalist administration was "treason." It was revoked when he left office, but it happened.

Today, the media in the United States is widely loathed and ignored by most. My calculations are that about 20 million Americans consume television news on a regular basis. There are about 260 million adults in this country. So the math is grim on the information front.

Younger Americans have almost completely bailed. On the Fox News channel, if a program gets 200,000 viewers between the ages of 25 to 54, that is a strong number.

The O'Reilly Factor on that network routinely hit 600,000, sometimes elevating to a million. And Fox is the highest-rated cable News network; the others have smaller audiences.

The decline in network news viewership parallels cable.

As for newspapers, the "fat lady" has sung. It is largely over as a vibrant industry. Only the arrogance remains.

There are a number of reasons for the stark media declines. First, corporate moguls, not seasoned journalists, now dictate most news coverage. The result is an ideological slant and groupthink. Pander to the audience.

Most news presenters, as they are called in England, do what they are told. As a result, many programs are so boring and predictable it's painful to watch. How many times do we have to be subjected to "what do you make of that" and "at the end of the day?"

The unwritten rule in every corporate media organization is "mavericks need not apply."

Some broadcasters like Glenn Beck, Megyn Kelly, and myself have successfully formed independent information companies, but you have to have a strong stomach to do it. The attacks on people who speak their minds in America are malicious and never-ending.

Much easier to play it safe, cash the corporate check.

The smartphone has done grave damage to the news industry. Attention spans are much shorter, rank propaganda all over the device, and folks can build their own internet bubble. Cell phone addiction is the enemy of responsible citizenry.

Finally, the low standards of public schooling have devastated the will to even know what's going on. Civic apathy is at an all-time high. America has this in common with Ancient Rome at the end.

How many high school or even college students would even understand that reference?

The old adage is, "The truth will set you free." My question is: how many of us even care about truth these days?

I think you know the answer to that one.