"You have this completely backwards" not at all. The media is used to shape opinions. Nazi propaganda minister Goebbels understood this. Not every one is capable of totally independent free thought. The elites know this, and willingly exploit it. And yet, both sides think it's the other that's doing it. The news networks, no matter what one, seeks to control what you think and thus indirectly dictate who you vote for and what you support in the mainstream political discourse. Do not think we can outsmart the networks so easily, they are a terrifying enemy due to the hordes of people who depend on them. We must break them all. They have no use in my view. They must be replaced.