Fourth Estate. But then, our current crop of politicians have slid off the rails rather well too - so there's enough blame to go around

In this Foreign Policy Association roundup of journalists views of our Foreign Policy in 1972 John Chancellor, anchor of the NBC Nightly News, gives a tongue-in-cheek assessment of what would become a somewhat cynical reality.

John Chancellor (NBC News): “I don’t know, really why, I asked myself coming over here today, why you bothered to invite this scurvy bunch of journalists to talk to you, these free-booters. I think I know why you asked me; it’s because I’m from Television and because I’m from Washington, and that makes me doubly trustworthy.”

Well, things were different then. This was, after all 1972.