Among the worst things that a democratic public can do is acquiesce to the 'free press'. They are not neutral observers. Virtually everywhere, they are an entrenched and heavily-moneyed deep state actor.

That's far from saying they only tell you lies. They have a much broader repertoire. The media's favourite ploy is to publish, repeatedly, unverified claims from their preferred "sources." And they do it language that implies those claims are factual. An equally pernicious tactic is that the media do not publish information that contradicts the position they've taken. The effect is that the media's favoured point of view is enhanced, while the one the media doesn't like is suppressed. 

Media is a business entity, not a democratic one. You should no sooner believe what they say than you should believe one of the ads they run for laundry soap.