The consequence of ratings > reason

I heard this quote today, and it resonated with me. It was with regard to Britain's departure from the European Union, but it's applies to the U.S. as well.

“This idea that the public discourse is served by putting up people who are provacative and divisive , fact-free, and devoid of evidence, somehow increases the public understanding of an issue … is absolutely heart-breaking.”

The issues affecting the United States are different, but the state of public discourse is the same.