There's an idea I heard maybe 10 years ago. It deserves more attention.

On a citizen's tax return, the citizen gets to allocate a set amount of government money (let's say $300) to a "responsible" media source. That sources could be a local newspaper or radio station or a national news program.

Now the citizen does not get that money. Nor does the citizen pay that money. It goes from government coffers to the media outlet, which is now less dependent on advertising.

In essence, the government is subsidizing the media, but the citizens make the choice.

And there would be a council of respected journalists to decide which media outlets are responsible. I believe there are already codes of ethics created for this profession.