The press as an enabler of institutional malfeasance

University of North Carolina, Duke University, University of Texas, University of Virginia, Pennsylvania State University - Five major universities that I can think of off the top of my head who are in deep ethical water in just the past couple or three years for fake grades, fake classes, child abuse, false charges against students, financial chicanery, fraud, etc.

Its from September 2014 but I just came across Wallace Hall Was Right About UT All Along by Jim Schutze this morning, outlining what seems to be both a pervasive institutional rot at the University of Texas as well as a corresponding level of moral corruption among the legislators who are supposed to looking out for the best interests of the citizens of Texas.

What is going on here? These aren't podunk universities, these are the creme-de-la-creme. The ethical standards ought to be even higher for them and yet in all the cases the bar is very low and they fail to clear even that. Everyone is familiar with the pernicious issue of crony-capitalism. But what is this? Crony-NGOism? The autonomous public institution coordinating and essentially bribing their legislative masters so that both the university and the legislators benefit but at the expense of the students and of the taxpayers.

I can speculate that the crisis of higher education is a function of excessive governmental cronyism. Universities have grown faster than just about any other part of the economy over the past forty years, with little competition, little transparency and little accountability. Money has been easy courtesy of legislators with costs being covered by increasing taxes, lotteries and increasing loan programs so that the champagne can keep flowing. In such an environment (whether governmental, corporate, or NGO), it is common for there to be a certain operational laxity and, apparently, a degree of moral laxity as well.

But now the economy has slowed, people's incomes have been moribund for years now. Taxes can't be increased. The loan program is teetering with increasing defaults. Now people are beginning to examine just what has been happening to all that money and after a four decade long party, I think there are many more unpleasant surprises that will be uncovered.

To some degree, this is simple human nature and economics. It is what it is. But as the Texas article asks, Where has our fourth estate been all this time? They are supposed to speak truth to power. They are supposed to shine light where the establishment does not want it shone. They are supposed to do the heavy investigative lifting that serves the needs of an informed citizen.

It appears that, for probably a number of reasons, that they have been co-opted and are now part of the establishment. They appear to be part of the problem, standing in the way between citizens and vested interests.