1- the well-documented bias of the media... and I make the point repeatedly that it is not just the news media, but also the entertainment media who are two sides of the same coin. Indeed, the entertainment arm may be more harmful, for they instruct much of the public on what's hot, what's not, what should be ignored, and what is worthy of ridicule. Remember Newt?
2- then there's the other, more pernicious problem... the media- both arms, again- is "Desperately Seeking Susan"- looking like mad for a Clinton II who they will create, protect, laud, and magnify. It's a symbiotic relationship. "Enablers" comes to mind, and one feeds on the other. The unfortunate Doctor Demento Dean was an excellent example of how this worked. Media types are at heart looking for a Saviour- it's a quasi-religious experience for them.
All we can do is try to inform people and get them to get their own news and not rely on the pablum & pap the TV and most papers and magazines feed them.
you are so right. Your whole post was right on.