What happens if the MSM refuses to cover Monero (or any altcoin)? Can an altcoin overcome any way?

Did Bittorrent become popular without MSM coverage? Is Bittorrent as popular as Bitcoin?

Any other ways to quantify risks w.r.t. MSM control over public perception?

(That is assuming the MSM is capable of being so organized in terms of deciding what to censor or not, which is not proven. We have only shown that MSM probably had some impact on Bitcoin's adoption, but not whether it was essential)