Secret, secret- I got a secret!

I think that it was once feasible to keep a secret, as long as its possessor was discrete. The dissemination of information was such that secrets spread very slowly, if at all. If the existence of a secret even became known, someone wishing to learn it faced both a long march and long odds, no matter the vigor with which they pursued it. If they actually did find it out, it was not easily passed on. It's been the media which has done it. Beginning with print, it has progressed to radio, television, and now on to the modern internet.

Maybe I'm wrong about how it used to be, given Ben Franklin's saying, "Three can keep a secret if two are dead". The point is how it is now. In all realms of human achievement, there are pieces of information being withheld at any given time. If no one wants to know, then there's no issue. Once there's any interest in finding out the truth, a worldwide human machine springs into action. It seems to me that once upon a time, there were only professional journalists of some minimum level of reputability who had to prioritize  what they devoted their time to. I guess they also consented to look the other way on some things. Not so today.