Two counter-powers normally keep democracy healthy: the legislative branch, which upholds the law and checks executive power, and the media, that expose wrongdoing.
Both are failing, hard and while we all suffer from it, it's mostly the most vulnerable among us who pay the highest price.
Without independent media holding power accountable, democracies become playgrounds for billionaires pushing their agendas through bought news outlets (like Fox News and the Washington Post in the US, and media under the LagardĂšre group in France).
Legislatures have been either gutted of resources or infiltrated by partisan operatives (just look at the U.S. Supreme Court, where Trump strategically installed loyalists). In Belgium and elsewhere, justice departments face chronic underfunding, and prisons are in a state of neglect. Supporting them isn't politically popular (why would an executive willingly strengthen a branch meant to hold it in check?).
Meanwhile, the media lost its business model to digital disruption, only to be snapped up by billionaires who now use them as propaganda tools to push their own agenda (usually towards infinite power for themselves). In France, the LagardÚre media empire under Vincent Bolloré is pushing Rassemblement National's agenda. In the USA, many media outlets owned by ultra-wealthy conservatives promote regressive policies while blaming the poor for being "lazy".
So, what can we do?
I don't know for the legislative - it does feel out of our control. But for the media holdup, we need to rebuild journalism from the ground up: fact-checked, financed by its readers, and independent.
It's already happening. For instance in Belgium, where I live, Medor is an excellent independent publication making a real impact despite its modest size. In France, ArrĂȘt sur Images and Mediapart both shining examples of principled journalism.
I'm sure there are new seeds of truth growing in your own media landscape if you look for them.
So if like me you don't want to watch democracy die without putting a (non violent) fight, then do something that matters: find independent sources that prioritise truth over clicks and support them with your hard-earned cash!
USA
France
Belgium