Ever since WWII the US had sponsored all kinds of media, funded opposition parties (of whole dictators, guerrilla armies, and so on), wined, dined and bribed foreign journalists, politicians etc to spread the stories they liked, runs thousands of cover publications, organizations, "NGOs", and media, including the more transparent ones, like "Radio Free Europe", and so on.

Others are doing it too? Cry me a river...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Mockingbird

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CIA_influence_on_public_opinio...

http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article28610.htm

https://www.aim.org/special-report/how-obamas-cia-manipulate...

https://arretsurinfo.ch/newly-declassified-documents-show-th...

https://www.wired.com/2011/09/cia-pitches-hollywood/

https://www.corbettreport.com/how-the-cia-plants-news-storie...