They basically help create the personas of these people to generate engagement. Obsessive liberal media coverage of Trump in January-March 2016 that immediately treated him as a frontrunner and amped up his persona. Coincidentally this was the coverage that Trump's base consumed for entertainment. Almost all the MAGA Trump video montages at the time were "shocked" liberal media personalities.
Agreed. There are still a few journalists with the clout to be able to ask difficult questions and hold the powerful to account but they're a dying breed. Most are shit scared of speak truth to power because they know they'll be denied access if they upset anyone. It's not journalism, it's stenography.