To take them seriously, to respond to them as the media and the left would like, is to collaborate. Rule of thumb is, simply put: anything anything at all coming from the legacy media must be examined under the presumption of dishonesty. Don't respond until after you've checked it out, not only down to the ground, but to the basement and subbasements as well.
Do they teach dishonesty now in journalism school? Or, do they just depend on human nature to generate enough of it to make their students employable by the mainstream media?
I tell my son to assume EVERYTHING you hear on the news is a lie until you verify it!