Stupid people are the most easily controlled. The best defense against media and political manipulation: don't be so fucking stupid. Before you believe a word that comes from a media or political (because they're pretty much the same thing) source, stop and ask yourself what their agenda might be. Examine the story for bias. Poke holes in it. Look at it from the possible "other side". Try to work out who has been silenced, and then try to work out what their silence might be covering up. Who has been privileged by the report? Who's been made to look good, and who's been marginalised? The same filters we use for advertising (or should use for advertising, but clearly don't, considering the number of people who blindly follow fashion trends) should apply for every single thing we read, hear or see.
It could be worse