Page and Shapiro’s book on public opinion dynamics has a chapter about how a chorus of sustained media coverage is the (only?) thing that can change public opinion. (That’s my summary; it’s not quite read that way by most practitioners but I think it’s a fair summary.)

Moreover what that means is that Fox and the conservative columnists at WaPo, NYT, etc play a powerful role in our media — they prevent that chorus and prevent a clear elite consensus from forming.