To the Editor:

It’s disheartening to read partisan comments from American news reports concerning the successful Artemis moon mission. Our current mainstream media tagged the moon mission as too costly and labeled it as “government boondoggle.”

I am old enough to remember a very consolidated celebration of America’s first moon mission. American News reports celebrated that event as an American achievement and not as a source of debate. As a baby boomer, I was fortunate enough to have witnessed a more communal and harmonious America while growing up. Although Hollywood actors did campaign for presidents back then, they did not all campaign for one party only.

Superstars like Clark Gable campaigned for Republican candidate Dwight D. Eisenhower. Bob Hope campaigned for Democrat John F. Kennedy, while Elvis Presley supported Republican Richard Nixon. How many superstars can you name in 2026 that openly support Republicans?

When did we become so divided? And is today’s Hollywood and the mainstream media responsible for much of the fracture in America?

Johnny Carson invited leaders from both political parties on to his late-night talk show. Carson interviewed Democrat Bill Clinton as well as Republican Ronald Reagan. Today’s late-night talk show hosts Seth Myers, Jimmy Kimmel, and many others, openly reject conservative guests.

A recent Fox News study discovered that the ratio of liberal guests to conservative guests is 90 to 1 in favor of the liberal guests.

Do you remember when everyone from Charley Daniels to Michael Jackson performed at the Reagan White House? At present, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, along with many other superstars, are publicly stating that they will not perform at Trump’s White House. And so, I ask again, is today’s Hollywood and the mainstream media responsible for much of the fracture in America?

Charles Danyus

Round Lake Beach