<i>&quot;Always doubt the media&quot; is bad advice.</i><p>It&#x27;s solid advice. Journalists have really become the used car salesmen of the 21st century. They should be doubted by default.<p>With declining revenues the salaries dropped and people attracted to the profession are more and more often outright propagandists for whom the ability to push their views is part of the compensation package. For the same reason sponsors get more control over content. Not to mention changes in ownership. Even the esteemed NYT is on life support provided by Carlos Slim who is now its biggest shareholder.<p>And let&#x27;s not overestimate the energy required to doubt the media. You could probably stop consuming any reporting or journalism, stop watching tv, stop reading newspapers and live just fine. It&#x27;s just not that important to know about all the events you cannot influence anyway.