Scholars who study political discourse and civic engagement say today’s partisan wrangling is more than simply mean-spirited. They contend political mendacity is boosting public cynicism to new heights and eating away at citizens’ willingness to get involved in the political process. They place the blame on the rise of cable TV and radio outlets that are aggressively liberal or conservative and an Internet that can instantly transmit rumor and falsehood with the click of a mouse.
Marcia Clemmitt, CQ Researcher, “Lies and Politics,”
Feb. 18, 2011, Vol. 21, No. 7, p. 147.
Plenty more "blame" to go around besides what's mentioned here. First things first.