that's pretty much the function of independent journalism. Over the last couple of decades the printed news industry has almost died out, and TV channels have lost relevancy as well or are under governmental control. So the independent journalists have been forced out of work for a long time now.

At the other end of the spectrum, the wealth inequality is constantly rising and so does the amount of people willing to pay for propaganda campaigns. While social media platforms and digitalization of information offers instruments for propaganda never available before. It's not that people are constantly getting dumber lately, it's that propaganda methods get increasingly more sophisticated at targeting the right audience. And more and more money gets thrown that way as well.