The media has been malignant for as long as I can remember.  The media that Carl knows and loves is dying off.  It holds very little sway and influence in this country, because the people on both sides of the political spectrum see right through their motives.  A most recent example of the malignancy of the media is the Iran nuke deal, that taxpayers were put on the hook for.  The media hailed it as "one of the greatest foreign policy achievements in decades", despite the fact the deal itself was a traitorous act.