It can be both. During Operation Mockingbird [0] the CIA found that they only had to infiltrate a relatively small nimber of the news outlets in order to sway

It can be both. During Operation Mockingbird [0] the CIA found that they only had to infiltrate a relatively small nimber of the news outlets in order to sway public opinion. They placed stories with both cooperating and unwitting journalists. Useful idiots can be very useful. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Mockingbird https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Mockingbird