There are a lot of dimensions to this, but, yes, media outlets of all kinds should consider whether they're really giving the people what they want or not. Obviously in advertising-based businesses advertisers are also their customers so this complicates things.
I think this plays out in different ways in different areas. George and Charlie are near the top of the pyramid, so they know what's best for you! Elitism, basically. And the you have local newspaper monopolies who justified their monopolies by imagining they were Very Important Institutions. Elitism again! Though different. Then you have CNN and MSNBC who wriggle around within the confines, roughly, of what they imagine journalism is supposed to be (not saying they live up to this concept, just that it impacts how they do things), though for some reasons various things like "informing the public" seem to come beneath odd arcane journalistic practices that no one but journalists care about.
But, yes, better product please!
