I don't read grandparent as saying the media is selfless or perfect, just as saying that it did play an important role in uncovering scandals, and that nothing

I don't read grandparent as saying the media is selfless or perfect, just as saying that it did play an important role in uncovering scandals, and that nothing seems able to replace that role. I don't see that (indisputable) past examples of propaganda and fake news harm that argument. Your last paragraph seems to imply a kind of quietism, as if it just isn't important whether a country's rulers face constraints and challenges. That isn't true: eventually, bad politics screws the economy, which is why Russia is a poor country.