The motive isn’t profit

How independent is our news media? Sarah Kendzior studies authoritarian regimes, so is paying close attention to the nasty guy. Stories are now leaking out that some highly important news did not appear before the election. Kendzior tweeted:

During the presidential campaign:

* WSJ killed op-ed on Trump's mafia ties
* Multiple outlets, most notably NYT, lied about Trump's Kremlin ties and FBI investigation after being briefed on them
* Multiple outlets killed Trump porn star and hush money stories

Those are just the stories on Trump we *know* were killed. There are likely more.
…
In August 2016, I wrote a thread on the sycophantic Trump coverage, which worked *against* any financial incentive the media had. When that happens in a struggling industry, ask why.

In January 2017, I wrote a thread on NYT pro-Trump propaganda. This is only one example; NYT is still doing this. Ask why an outlet would work against both the truth *and* their bottom line.

What is the motive? It's not profit. Most voters didn't vote for Trump. Most people do not support KKK. Many cancel subscriptions in protest.

When media outlets write misleading headlines that alienate their audience and affect revenue -- as a bigoted autocrat rises -- take notice. It's bad enough when media promotes bigotry and authoritarianism for ratings. But lack of financial incentive implies worse factors in play.

Had the nasty guy worked out some combination of threats and bribes to get the campaign and administration coverage he wants? Was our news media compromised well before last year’s election?