The co-optation of the media by the Left goes much further back

 

The Sordid History of the Fairness Doctrine --Reason.com

"Despite its evocative name, the Fairness Doctrine was primarily a tool wielded by established political interests to suppress unwelcome speech."

This is a useful read, but it is only one part of the entire picture.  While we can argue about press manipulation going back to McKinley and even Lincoln during the war, it would be the Progressives who would take it to the next level.  FDR, of course, would set the gold standard for how to shape and control the media.  Kennedy wasn't all that far behind, either.  The genius of Reagan and (!?) Trump was that they used media in spite of the engrained opposition and not with its tacit support.