In Ed Curtin's collection of essays that I recently reviewed ( https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2025/04/27/are-americans-still-americans/ ), he explains in an essay, "Opening the CIA's Can of Worms," who created and maintains the fictionalized narrative-controlled world in which Americans live in ignorance of the real operating agendas.

Curtin says it is the CIA, not the media or the Internet companies or the politicians, who controls the narratives.  The CIA's own overlords are the powerful financial and corporate interests on which American success depends. Curtin's account parallels US Marine Commander General Smedley Butler's confession that he and his US Marines were the enforcers in Latin America for the United Fruit Company and the New York Banks.

There is endless documented evidence for Curtin's conclusion.  Much has been written about the CIA's "Operation Mockingbird," now described by CIA media assets, such as Wikipedia, as "alleged operation."  Beginning in 1950 the CIA began using bribes, such as "leaks" to American media that were designed to influence American and foreign opinion with controlled narratives that advanced secret agendas.  The CIA's "leaks" made the careers of reporters who could attest to their editors "CIA source" and make the front page if not the headlines. Most journalists regarded as influential are CIA assets.

More recently, Udo Ulfkotte's book, Bought Journalism, revealed that he, an editor at Germany's largest newspaper, and most significant journalists in Europe are CIA assets.  This was confirmed by Otto Schulmeister, editor-in-chief and publisher of Austria's Die Presse ( https://www.paulcraigroberts.org/2019/10/22/udo-ulfkottes-book-exposing-cia-control-of-western-journalism-now-available-in-english/ ). His own CIA connections were revealed.