That’s the scandal of the Ben Rhodes affair. The media didn’t become useful idiots on Russia. They’ve been useful idiots for years. As Rhodes told the NYT, modern journalists haven’t been anywhere, researched anything. They “know nothing.” They call him for the story and he provides whichever narrative the Administration wants at the moment. When time proves it a fable, well the Administration got what they wanted at the time and the credibility hit lands on the press.