No, there are certainly times where the media reporting is “top-down”. This latest recession has produced some strange reporting around justifying raising fed rates to cause unemployment to reduce inflation, for example.

A more historical example would be on the early days of the 2nd Gulf War and the war drums beating for Iran perhaps a year later (that never materialized into a war)

I don't think that's true at all. Class and economics in America are fascinating.

I agree that it's fascinating, but the race issue is more like a pornography for America. And Americans would prefer to consume the porn than the substance.