Western Media is a tool that was invented to help sell snake oil (patent medicine). It quickly realized that the fastest way to grab and direct eyes to its advertisements was to spread gossip and breed controversy.

Unfortunatly, in the middle of this muckraking, the reporters (no doubt in an alcoholic haze) developed the mistaken impression that their work was about more than selling snake oil.

And thus “journalism” was born.

In the case of Chinese media, newspapers exist to package and sell nationalism (and the occasional LV bag) instead of snake oil. Same concept; different product.