With the explosive growth of cable television and the world wide web, and the emergence of talk radio as an influential part of the mix, media power has been dispersed. At the same time, media power also has been consolidated in a few giant corporations. In other words, no matter how you slice the pie, the big media still exert a powerful influence on society. That's why conservatives need to put the same effort into communications that they put into other endeavors. Sure, conservatives are right to expect the media to develop a sophisticated understanding of their ideas and institutions.
Journalists certainly have faults.
Both sides need to do something about this. Conservatives, for example, need to know how to present their strongest case in a manner and format that is acceptable and useful to the media. This doesn't mean conservatives need to alter their core beliefs. It might mean altering the language they use to express these beliefs, however. Too many conservatives don't measure up when it comes to working with the media.