Yeah, but that protection has collected a lot of rips and tears in it. The higher profile the issue, the harder it is to provide cover. When things "get real", the rubber meets the road and all that, people have a natural expectation that trouble will be handled in a capable manner by those that are perceived as leaders who will take responsibility and competently rise to the occasion. Biden and Pelosi have demonstrated no ability to do so. Biden naval gazing in a basement with a camera and Pelosi trying to do everything but address the problem have diminished themselves in the face of an alarmed public intensely looking for help and answers. The media's still gonna do what it can of course, but big damage has been done, beyond their skills to spin and hide.
I think, hope, that you are right. I hope that a lot more people are paying a lot more attention in these circumstances. To paraphrase Samuel Johnson, the prospect of death concentrates the mind wonderfully. Here’s hoping that this is at work now.