Have you looked into who funds the media and their fact-checking services like PolitiFact (Poynter), and the IFCC? You might be surprised to find it's may of the same groups / people - George Soro's open society, Bill & Melinda Gates foundation, Clinton foundation, The Koch foundation (interestingly enough) etc... When the same folks that lobby and buy politicians, own the media and fact-check their own stories, the government doesn't need to "control the media". They're both already being controlled by some people with very deep pockets and substantial political connections.