Even then some of these publication used to have some semblance of balls (misshapen and sad but balls all the same). Rolling Stone for example published articles by Celia Farber up until I think the early 2000s although I'm fairly sure they've all been stricken from the archives by now.

There's no mainstream organizations that don't get money directly or indirectly from the regime now so no more tiptoeing gently over the line.