and they spent decades building it.

that began in earnest, the movement toward what we have today. I think that Ailes called it "GOPTv" or something like that. An ecosystem for conservative ideology. Of course there were conservative commentators and magazines like Buckley's "National Review" but the news media was at least geared toward the middle ground during that era.

SO yes it was literally in the dreams of Nixon and his media consultant. Nixon hated the press because they kept pestering him with questions about his policies, which they pretty much did to every one of his predecessors, only Nixon was paranoid and petulant.

Fox News and the right wing media universe has set back journalism and political discourse in untold ways.