We may not have formal censorship (I mean, we do, but it fits a fairly narrow field) but we do have accountability in the western media. If you outright lie about someone, you can be civilly liable. So it isn't the wild west, necessarily. Of course, many in the media are experts in the idea of half-truths. But honestly the vilification of the media by the government is so blatant, I don't understand how it is working so well. I am skeptical of trusting most media sources, but I sure as hell don't trust the government.