We know what the media are up to better, sometimes, than they do. Certain retailers with overseas sweatshops have learned this to their cost. Finally, there is the aforementioned Net, teeming with alternative sources of news, commentary, even a few squeaks of outrage. Our newfound sophistication means that we aren't taken in by magazines called Sony Style, for example, or Martha Stewart Living. We read their advice, take some of it, and reject what we don't like, based on our well-founded understanding that the sponsors of these publications are not the editors of Consumer Reports.
Consumers expect, anticipate, and can deal with commercial pressure.
Finally, we have personal reasons, perhaps only dimly conscious, for our tolerance of the media's conflicts of interest. We see that their conflicts are what happen when giants play multiple roles. But in this respect, we too are giants. We are parents and workers, dual-income couples, caretakers of our children and of our parents. We live in families where conflict of interest is rife.