Been that way for a long, long time. Remember how the media parroted the Ice Age scares in the 1970's. That was all based on a CIA report commissioned after the Soviet Union experienced a major wheat failure due to cold weather in the Ukraine. Hard to accept, but we have been lied to since birth.
Yes, but it's gone downhill since then.
The US media's slow and steady transformation from a Free Press, into a state-controlled propaganda agency is now nearly complete.
Today, they're not simply parroting the government line, they're actively engaged in shaping the desired public perception and awareness (or lack thereof) of world events.
In short, they're not just dupes for the gov't anymore. They're now active cohorts and co-conspirators.