His "polarization and dialectic clarify things," works if both sides of the argument are presented to those capable of the clarifying dialectic.

Unfortunately that isn't the case these days in America, unless they themselves are willing to dig out, search for, and report to the rest of us the clarity their investigative, conscientious, democratic ilk is able to fuse from the polarity the popular media continues to foster,

Is it likely that the alternative press whose orchestrated demise Hitchens rightly laments has popped up again in the comforting folds of the internet? Is Assange the ultimate publisher? I think so! At least until those forces to whom a truly free press is anathema are able to overcome the technology wikileaks and others currently use. Hopefully as the Air Force cut aluminum strips into different frequencies to jam inquisitive enemy radar, perhaps the brains behind wikileaks will be able to mount an effective defense, necessarily, ad infinitum.

An aside; In the 60's statehouse politics were followed assiduously by a full bevy of reporters representing local, state, and national news agencies.

Today one searches without success, except when there's a really hot issue, to find a single reporter. Take away the reporting of statehouse politics, take away Civics from the classroom, and the voting populus finds itself more swayed by purveyors of referendums, propositions, and other outside-the-legislative-process petitions: signature gatherering discontents taking advantage of and abusing a system, that was set up as a constitutional safeguard in the face of an unreasonable government, in order to receive satisfaction over a personal grievance. Sounds silly, I know, but an uninformed public is easily convinced that another man's marvelously articulated disgruntlement is theirs, and can be addressed at the voting booth.

I will miss Christopher Hitchens, persons who don't know or ever heard of him will miss him.