That's why independent news media is so important. And not just independent from state interference, but also financially. Consolidation into a few big players is really counterproductive.

And lately there is the whole social media debacle that needs a solution, even more so with fakes and invented "news" becoming more and more easier. That's an unsolved problem that needs a solution.

However an informed population really is the only way to keep a system from going downhill, everything else basically bets on some benevolent ruling class or dictator and history has plenty of examples how that goes.