Within your own response can be found the answer to your question. Virtuous government flows from a virtuous people; journalism has nothing to do with it.
The Founding Fathers were wise beyond what we deserve... it's almost as if they knew that the strength and durability of freedom, of the virtues of a Nation, could not be defined by how long it stood or that it would imperviously withstand all assaults. Instead, they created a framework wherein such assaults could be expected to appear as indeed they always had since history was recorded. Most importantly, these assaults would continually challenge each generation so that the better angels of our natures would rise up and defend our nation anew.
Every generation must remember this. Historically, it has been shown that we forget. Hegel (not one whom I normally quote as I have little use for nihilists, but this one he got right...) said "remembering history teaches us that we forget history" or something like that. Toynbee makes the same point.
So what do the Founding Fathers do? Create an edifice where each successive generation must - if the edifice is to be continually built up - remember in our times how it was done before, learn from the challenges our forebears faced, thus in our own turn rising up to the challenge of our day.
Freedom of Speech as it is written in the First Amendment guarantees that the old demons and enemies will always have the freedom to attack us, and in their repeated assaults (notice how similar today's dhimmicrat and media/academia are to their commoner/intelligentsia counterparts of the French, Marxist, Communist, Fascist & now Islamist revolutions/movements?) succeed in waking within us the vital flame of indomitable freedom that our Forefathers had. The "Greatest Generation" fought against unspeakable horror and tyranny, and the citizen soldiers of 60 years past earned their moniker. Today, we too, face the darkness, and I'm confident history will show we answered the call in a way that would make our ancestors proud.
Where does journalism fit in this? Certainly not on the side of virtue. Journalism is merely the voice; all ideas potentially are expressed through it. Not just the noble or virtuous ideas; all of them. That is what is most important about Free Speech; even more important than the current reality wherein an anti-Republican media suppresses those ideas which are ours. Because the bottom line is, it doesn't finally matter what the Rathers of the world say; what matters most is what is in our minds.
I am in everlasting awe of these, the Giants upon whose shoulders we today stand. And yes, I reiterate; their wisdom was more than we deserve... but we can earn this.
Eh? If propaganda is such a useless tool, why is it even used? The constant barrage of things untoward from our Ministry of Truth is not an accident, and it has an effect.
If you believe the Bible as I do, it tells us virtuous people do not occur naturally. Man's inclination is towards evil. So given a little push in that direction by the influence peddlers and, voila. The media, along with all the other agencies of the evil empire are doing their level best to boot all things God out of our country. Wonder why? The moral foundation necessary for a virtuous people to prosper has got to be destroyed. Is it working? You bet. Can it be stopped?
FGS