I'm not following you here as it relates to one example I offered.An authoritarian attack on the free media would try to magnify such a lapse. It's a certainty that print and electronic media will make mistakes and commit abuses.
How did an authoritative attack on free media cause CNN to collude with the Clinton campaign by giving her the questions to the second (I believe it was that one) presidential debate?
What existed in the swamp prior to that? Or did no such political/media swamp exist at the time?