Do people really believe there is a difference between government and the big tech? These companies regularly get large government contracts, it is unlikely that there aren’t deeper connections. I don’t believe free market exists in the USA and I think it’s economy and media is almost as heavily controlled as China.
The great firewall of China prevents most of their citizens from seeing news that isn’t the party line. And if you share it you face criminal charges. Not to mention their social ranking system. It’s ridiculous to say the US media is almost as heavily controlled as China.
Large media conglomerates own such a large percentage of the media outlets that they are literally controlling what is broadcast by using the exact same text and "news" in every single one of their markets. These "local" stations are dicated to what they can air, and forced to carry specific segments whether it is the same pre-produced segment or at the least the same pre-approved copy that the local read verbatim.
That is not a free press. That is a press doing the bidding of its corporate overlords