Newspapers, TV shows and other media don't operate in a vacuum - they serve what their audiences desire. To the extent that you can dish out idiotic falsehoods like stories about Obama's missing birth certificate, or 9/11 conspiracy theories.

You can have all quality journalism you want, if the majority of people is ill informed and/or doesn't care, it will not help much. Take Obama's reversal on drug price negotiations or various crimes from the Bush area (warrantless wiretapping, torture) - most people don't really know enough, and the elites (including most mainstream journalists) are mostly indifferent. Even the quality newspapers publish nonsense that should not pass the editor - take the recent Washington Post Cheney story, or the NYT's Maureen Dowd. But few care.