There is an inherent bias in the U.S. news media in that it must cater to advertisers and, more directly, to the interests of viewers (viewers here being used in the “unintelligent masses that made The Scorpion King a success” meaning of the word).
Could we somehow make the news (and only the news) a government-funded institution (similar to the BBC) that requires the existing network news agencies (CNN, etc.) to do their jobs as they always have, but without advertisements or pressure from advertisers?
Government distrust is high in the U.S., but I’m not proposing that the government produce or manage the news, simply that it fund the news (as a matter of hypothetical law) and, for added measure, be tied down by legislation designed to minimize its interference with news media production.
Perhaps the choice could be left to the news agency in question?
Said news agency could be comprised of the same reporters-with-ideals doing the same work they did before, just with someone else signing the paycheck, that signer (in this universe) being constitutionally obliged to fund the agency if it forgoes advertising revenue (for the sake of perceived integrity and the credibility it brings).
Could this work with the BBC as a model?