Agence France Presse is a bit of an oddity in terms of structure. Legally a corporation, it has no shareholders and is forbidden by its bylaws to receive public subventions. It mostly sell news feeds to other medias.
You may be surprised by the clear design and the absence of ads.
It is managed by an assembly of 18 people, mostly representatives from local medias (who are all biased in different ways) and 3 members sent by the government. Its finances are managed by specialized magistrates.
In my opinion it is a great model organization of private-public collaboration and an example of correctly set incentives for a good neutral news agency.
I know folks who used to believe in helping refugees, standing up for human rights, guaranteeing every citizen the right to vote, crafting policy under guidance of experts, holding politicians and businesses accountable for corruption and fraud, supporting science, etc., but now spout unhinged conspiracy theories about e.g. civil servants and climate scientists, stand up for murderous autocrats, and echo very strange racist ideas about social relations.
It’s very difficult to listen to a steady drumbeat of fear and hate for years and years and not come out with a warped worldview. Especially when a broader community of these old people’s friends are all consuming the same propaganda.
It’s all a heinous mess. Just an endless stream of low-quality trash that addicts people of all stripes.
I understand that many people want to believe their elders are good, rational, intelligent people, and it's that damn media diet. I'm sorry - it's not McDonalds that makes people obese, it's people willing to become obese that continue going to McDonalds.