Not only is the media already on their side - but they practice with them. We learned this from "Paul Schreyer: Pandemic simulation games – Preparation for a new era?"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3WUv5SV5Hg
So whatever our knee-jerk reaction is, they have already thought of it. And probably worked with the media on how to cover it, what words to use.
We have seen this level of coordination over the years. They think they are our "betters".
Depends on how you define 'betters', but there sure are a lot of people who fall for their bullshit.