“Why does Big Media get away with this?”
[I’m only responding to this one question]
Because every day is a new day and every day there’s a new story and there’s little, if any looking back to confirm the credibility or validity of any given story. Whatever mental space you as a viewer or consumer you choose to fill with today’s news or, should you choose, wondering whether yesterday’s news was valid, there’s a new stream of blather coming out of whatever appliance delivers the particular news channel to your face. This is how you know that it’s entertainment, brain cell embusyment, not information.
Because all the media is owned by the same people.