There's more than what you talk about here. The status of these people relies on the fact that they can whitewash regime narratives into expertise, journalism and political commentary. For that, you need credibility, or at least a fig leaf thereof.

I've long believed that if the current situation is to end, their credibility will have to end with a thousand cuts. While I'm as astonished as you are that anyone believes them, it is a simple fact that most people do not pay attention nor closely monitor the credibility of people, unless they get burned by them. Every time they put out a fire for one of their political allies, they sacrifice a small or large amount of credibility.