No apology needed; I agree to a large extent. The pollsters employed by major media outlets knew what results their sponsors wanted and worked to produce those results.
You have it right. Whether the source of money is media tycoons or candidates, Pollsters are in the business of keeping their source of money happy and getting repeat business.
The same is true of paid political consultants. Their #1 skill is raising money for the campaign, which means for themselves. Examples: Shrum and Murphy can raise money even though they always lose.
The pollster who seeks the truth is rare, but might exist.
The paid political consultant whose #1 priority is his candidate winning is rare, but might exist.