I’m pretty sure they have been shedding that mission since about the 1950s, when the USSR began a targeted effort to put moles into places of influence, like the media. The difference is that since Trump’s election, they aren’t even trying to hide their bias any more. They have fully become TASS.
Should Trump hire some of his detectives to dig up dirt on reporters? They’re pretty sleazy most of them. Make John Edwards(remember him?) look like a choir boy. Spread the findings out over the last 2 months of the election season.