I’d argue that organizations chasing money can very closely mirror a “quasi state-sponsored news agency […] pretending to be the very core institution of respectable journalism” as you loosely put it.

I’m not specifically calling out any organization in particular, but I have come to be very cynical of almost all news sources and journalism over the last couple decades. Journalism is a hollow shell of what it once was, omission of relevant and factual context is normalized, propaganda is factualized, and people are scared to report the truth unabashedly.

There is too much incentive to spin propaganda, even with the best intentions and organizational structuring.