Mainstream media has whored themselves out to the far left. Nothing left to trust.

Have the days of the muckraking/yellow press ever really left us? I think it's a bit of an illusion that the press was ever really anything else. The press, of course, cultivates this illusion of being this sober, austere arbiter of facts and truth. But, the fact is, it's a carnival show.

Beto is a creepy narcissistic phony who stands for nothing. Does anyone know a 15 year old who fantasizes about murder? The media could not care less because he's a Democrat. He's their newest darling. The media twists the facts or doesn't report them in order to help liberal politicians look good.

To be fair, not that I deny the overwhelming bias and deception of the media, it does seem like they promised their sources that this article would not be posted until after the senate election.

I trust some of the press but very little of it. They exist for profit in todays world. News takes a back seat to the bottom line and anyone that don't fit the agenda is removed quick. Just look up all the people who were right about Iraq only to be fired and now blackballed from the MSM.

There was this Three Stooges episode where Moe, Larry and Curly were impersonating reporters. As they entered the room they showed the concierge their “credentials” ...
Moe; “PRESS”
Larry; “PRESS”
Curly; “PULL” (ahhh ... whoob...whoob...WHOOB!!!)

The “Press” has become so uselessly idiotic that I think Curly had the right idea ...

That is; they’ve made sick and lousy jokes of themselves. Heck, even the Late Night Show hosts seem to be more credible when it comes to “news”.

I have a hard time trusting the media. It is sad too because I like a base of objective facts to start with and then I like to let our biases run wild within factual parameters.

The answer is both, on a spectrum. Officially, and historically, it has been the job of the press to inform. Before the idea of a free press, the information presented was not always accurate, more whatever the ruling authority wanted to see in print. With the advent of the free press, people got to use their collective influence to eliminate dishonest reporting, and were greatful enough for that opportunity to take the responsibility associated with it seriously. Now however, that sense has been lost, and replaced with a more primitive desire to simply be entertained. So the position of the press has shifted, more towards your second idea, controlling the narrative to create outrage (see; emotional demand) and get people hooked on it. So now, no, I don’t trust the media.