[pjc50]

There's a problem that traditional news gathering regards it as valid to print X if they can find a source saying X and print "X said ...". They consider that to have done their duty. In an era where political figures have neither a sense of honour nor an obligation to the truth, and therefore routinely lie about everything, this leads to the newspaper repeating and amplifying those lies.

(a recent example: a lot of places had to issue apologies and corrections over Imane Khalif due to quoting disreputable sources at face value)