Or maybe
The huge increase in media coverage and general awareness on the part of the public that perhaps the actions of government were not always pure and honorable had something to do with it?
I think in the past, people tended to trust their leaders and believe that they always acted in the best interest of the country and it's citizens at all times. Maybe that was more true in the past.
But you have to admit that there have been a lot of instances that disproved that notion - Watergate, MonkeyBusiness, etc, etc.