Would you be well-informed if all your nutritional news & background information were supplied by McDonalds fast-food franchises?
An independent press is essential - but most media outlets in the USA are owned by wealthy corporations. Americans are typically unfamiliar with press independence, and 99% of the media consumed is owned & controlled by the 1% richest people.
Too many people unthinkingly rely on the huge corporate news machines -- which clearly distort, omit & manage information. In the USA, official brutality is deliberately hidden when possible. Democracy is threatened when a large proportion of people are fooled, deluded or deceived.
Pre-digested infosnacks offered by corporatist networks are not "free news" -- docile media endangers the health of the world & the survival of future generations.
Neglecting media's importance is costly, but blame yourself. Civic media is an available alternative in many nations, but people are captivated by corporate-supplied buzz.
The below site offers a different view of the news:
http://commondreams.org