As more power is concentrated in the hands of government officials, they become better able to manipulate media access to news events. Since the decisions and actions of government leaders now have far greater impact than private actions and are therefore more newsworthy, publishers and broadcasters are loath to risk offending well-placed authorities—that is, the executive and other powerful sources within the government—who may provide them with news "leaks," interviews, or favorable treatment at press conferences in the future. The media are therefore reluctant to express criticism of governing authorities or to reveal stories damaging to governing agencies, departments, or individuals. Whoever expresses such criticism, after all, is denied the benefit of the next news "scoop." Increasingly, the mainstream media cease to challenge unconstitutional usurpations of power by ruling authorities or their underlying statist premises. An uninformed populace becomes more and more accepting of the slide toward statism and toward the substitution of authoritarian rule for the principles of a constitutional republic.