What is the role of media?

As I see it, education and entertainment are worthy roles of media.  However, it appears mainstream media is NOW most often involved wtih manipulating the mind, body and spirit of the masses.

I started to feel as if media reporting was insulting to my intelligence, especially since the enormous public attention on the OJ trials and subsequent media coverage of more or less significant events (ie. Princess Diana, Dancing with the Stars, Brittany Spears, celebrity and reality mania, etc).
 
Recently I discovered FREESPEECHTV.ORG on dishtv or http://www.freespeech.org/, and experience something closer to truth.  See and hear for yourself what's being said by those not so attached to mainstream media conglomerates and other corporate elites.

http://www.nativewind.org/
http://www.newsreal.indymedia.org/
http://www.agrnews.org/
www.linktv.org
and www.democracynow.org

As the great philosopher Plato wrote:  "[I]t is not the intellect that matters, but contemplative love of truth."

Blessings,
Nur