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I want to commend The Seattle Times for printing The Hamster Wheel States of America by guest columnist Rick Steves [Opinion, Jan. 3]. Although gridlock and corruption are eating away at our democracy, the real problem is corporate control of the media.

We receive all of our information through the medias filter, meaning it can choose what we hear and do not hear, and how we hear it Rupert Murdock, Roger Ailes and Karl Rove at Fox News being the prime example. If it decides that we merely want to be entertained with food shows, murder trials and missing aircraft, we have CNN.

Have you noticed that almost everything is couched in fear? If the media wants to distract, it airs football games and reality shows, after all, only old people read newspapers anymore. Few of the important things this country has accomplished in recovering from the market crash of 2008 make the front page or cable news. Instead, we hear about the birthers and death panels. On-air lies in interviews are not questioned because, hey, it is time for the next commercial.

The fact that The Seattle Times even gave Rick Steves piece a prominent place on the Opinion pages gives me hope that some of those who own and make final decisions in the media will find a way to fulfill its true mission to be our watch dog and give us the simple facts about what is really going on in our country good and bad.

Kathryn McHenry, Bainbridge Island

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Democracy: The real problem is corporate control of media