FOURTH BRANCH OF GOVERNMENT

FOURTH BRANCH Of GOVERNMENT? If the so-called "free press" is truly the fourth branch of government, as is said, it had crassly abdicated its responsibility and duties, to the American people in 2016, when it lifted Donald Trump's every word, gratis, from his lips, as a lead story! Trump bought advertising for sure , but, unless, the news is advertising as well, his candidacy was lavishly supplied with "lagniappe," extras! The American mainstream media was once covert, masked, secret. Its champion was Thomas Paine, a/k/a, "Publius," renown author of the COMMON SENSE/CRISIS broadside classics of the American Revolutionary War Era. The powerful wisdom of founding father, Thomas Paine, has been misattributed to Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson was a member of the five man Continental Congress which edited Thomas Paine's original draft of the "Declaration of Independence" in 1776. Paine was not a slaveholding founding father, like Jefferson. Paine was a gifted and learned English emigrant and rhetorical master of philosophy. He first was discovered by Benjamin Franklin in Europe and brought to America to aid its freedom cause by the use of its journalistic skills. Founding Father, Thomas Paine, wore the famous DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE. Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin were two of five editors, editing that masterpiece. I am convinced of this by my having read all of the works of Thomas Paine that were devoted to the cause of American Revolution. Others share my view whom I have read online. Paine's authorship explains why the slavery allusion--offensive to Jefferson and enslavers was eliminated from the final draft popularly promulgated and taught in school. Paine's says as much here, albeit, guardedly, subliminally: https://larryslibrary.blogspot.com/2018/07/thomas-paine-final-crisis.html?m=1 Paine's method of journalism was to keep himself separate and apart from party, and all private interests, the better to promote what was the best ideal for the United States of America, that he left before the Constitution--which betrayed his principles--succumbed to slavery. The 2019 American press could best honor its actual, proverbial, father, Thomas Paine, by returning to the principles that he enunciated, rather than foist up another tyrant, a doppelgänger for King George III, in the person of Donald Trump yet again. Trump deserves to be excoriated on the same merits, using history, nature, philosophy, scripture as Paine did for the tyrannical King of England. Thereby the American press can rightly assume the sobriquet "Fourth Branch of government," when it shows itself to be worthy of its name, true to its original nature!