I think media and corporations aren't stupid, it's just part of the plan to destabilize the country and create chaos. Media, corporations, social movements, politicians... All of them have a role on this novel: corporations fund social movements that are protected by politicians and this chain is endorsed and kept by the media and its celebrities who work to make common citizens accept normally the violence, riot and degradation as the protesters were just fighting for their rights. It's not happening only in United States however.