William Raspberry

One by one, I'm being deprived of the independent sources that I have found so valuable in reaching my own conclusions.

Please understand that I'm not speaking of sources that reflect my own philosophy. I used to profit from reading certain conservative columnists because they helped me to see America from a different point of view. Now many of those once-helpful pundits have become (so it seems to me) mere partisans for particular politicians -- less concerned with their independence than with political victory.

Similarly with certain "think tanks" I used to rely on for a different -- often stimulating -- take on things. I knew they weren't politically neutral, but I knew I could factor in their predispositions while I looked at their facts and figures. Now, in too many cases, I find the facts and figures themselves suspect.

Nor is it just conservative institutions that have left me in the intellectual lurch. The U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, once a valuable influence on the White House because of its ability to speak uncomfortable truth to power, has largely been reduced to a forum for partisan squabbling.

Am I worrying too much? I don't think so. We're running around trying to create democracies all over the world while forgetting that what makes democracies work is not just the ballot but the existence of institutions and agencies that enjoy near-universal public trust.