Let's not pretend that the media is some paragon of accuracy, truth, and virtue. Sometimes they ignore particular stories while hyping others, selectively cover certain topics while providing limited coverage for others that are equally or more important, and, yes, they even indulge in fabrication, sensationalism, and distortions. Not only are they humans prone to err, but they often come with a specific political orientation and have the parameters of their coverage set by the media company.
With that said, the media benefited enormously from the Trump campaign. The CEO of CBS loved the ratings and money coverage of Trump brought the company (IIRC). As President, I'm sure they still benefit from continuous coverage of Trump scandals that likely attract or retain the attention of a high number of viewers, thereby increasing their profit margins. Obsessively covering Trump and even hyping stories pertaining to him is simply good business. Nevertheless, that doesn't mean most of what they say is a lie; it's not. Trump says and does more than enough absurd and ignorant things to keep any journalistic organization perpetually busy. But, the media is perfectly happy to indulge in fixated coverage on every little issue and hype each dumb thing he does.
As for the high percentage of Americans willing to restrict journalists' First Amendment Rights, it's disappointing, yet unsurprising. Years upon years of politicized attacks upon the media by the right-wing would inevitably diminish its reputation and the willingness of millions of Americans to defend their constitutional rights. It's just ironic that the same people who for years cried "but the constitution!" were so eager to toss in their lot with a man who clearly has no regard for the Constitution or the Bill of Rights (let alone ever actually read them), and are now supporting a blatantly authoritarian inspired curtailment of Constitutionally guaranteed rights.
These folks are Constitutionalists when it's politically expedient and beneficial to their cause, yet eager to ditch the Constitution when it proves inconvenient. Sounds similar to their approach to the deficit, which Republican Rep. Mark Walker described perfectly...
