Yep. Everything is a choice with them, and it seems pretty clear by now that their choice is to soft-pedal trump. Other than being owned by wealthy conservatives, not sure at all what they're getting out of it! The ultimate danger to the media seems pretty obvious.

I think they genuinely believe that fascism will be fun and exciting, that they'll be comfortable as stenographers for his regime, and that he's just saying the stuff about them being his enemies. They really are not very bright.