It hasn't been for a long time. Since Bill Clinton signed the Telecommunications Act of 1996. The rich have purchased 95% of the media and even liberal media's can only be so liberal or truthful. The rich owners censor what news can be told.
Here is a great example:
Paramount owner Shari Redstone in recent days sought to know which upcoming
60 Minutes stories were about President Donald Trump
Producer Bill Owens resigned abruptly this week, complaining that he no longer had the editorial independence to run the iconic Sunday evening news show.
Bill said "it has become clear that I would not be allowed to run the show as I have always run it, to make independent decisions based on what was right for ’60 Minutes,′ right for the audience.”
His resignation was the culmination of months of tensions between
60 Minutes and Paramount, which has taken greater interest in oversight of CBS News.
Following Trump’s demand that the FCC inflict “
punishment” on CBS over a recent
60 Minutes piece on Greenland and Ukraine
A fourth source who spoke with Owens in recent days said the former producer had grown concerned that CBS’ corporate parent was becoming too interested in
60 Minutes — and that was making him uncomfortable.
Owens’ resignation comes as Paramount is hoping to close its merger with the entertainment company Skydance, which continues to be under review by federal regulators.
Tensions between CBS and parent company Paramount culminated in the resignation of a longtime producer this week.
www.semafor.com
Liberal media? My ass