Liberal media makes political fog even thicker

Legal commentators -- from across the spectrum -- insist that this distinction matters and that the agencies should have divulged more information.

And on the other side, shouldn't Trump supporters - even if they believe there was no collusion - be asking themselves why, in all the Trump-related scandals, so many roads lead to Russia? There are other countries on the globe, you know. Meanwhile, beware of all the misinformation that is out there. When law firms, public relations agencies, and political operatives start manipulating language, the goal isn't to inform but to muddy the waters.

And the media only makes things muddier. Try this at home. Spend 30 minutes flipping between CNN and Fox News, spending a few minutes on each channel. Not only will you hear radically different perspectives on the same issue, but you'll also see that the networks -- who have chosen sides between the political parties -- will often downplay stories that hurt their team and play up stories that hurt the opposing team.

Of course, media bias is nothing new. But, somehow, in the Trump era, it seems uglier and more sinister in both directions. The new norm -- especially in broadcast media -- is agenda-driven lobbying that gets disguised as journalism.

As a citizen of the republic, I have to ask: What happened to reporting? Why can't news people just tell us what happened -- the "who, what, when, where, why" litany that they used to teach in journalism school -- and let us decide for ourselves what it all means? Why are they constantly trying to force feed us their point of view? And, if they are really after the facts -- like they're supposed to be -- why not try to open doors rather than shut them?

Here's a friendly reminder for my colleagues: We don't work for the parties. We work for the people. And the best way to fulfill our duty is to serve the truth -- straight up.

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Ruben Navarrette's email address is ruben@rubennavarrette.com. His daily podcast, "Navarrette Nation," is available through every podcast app.