Bangladesh, Jan. 4 -- In a functioning democracy, the press is supposed to serve as an early warning system-alerting the public to corruption, abuse of power, and the misuse of taxpayer money. Yet in recent years, Americas legacy media has increasingly abandoned that role, paralyzed by ideological constraints and fear of reputational backlash. Few episodes illustrate this collapse more starkly than the recent revelations surrounding alleged multibillion-dollar childcare and healthcare fraud in Minnesota-a story that exploded online but was conspicuously ignored by mainstream outlets for days.

The scandal came to public attention not through a Pulitzer-winning investigation or a months-long newsroom probe, but via a 42-minute viral video ...