it's the same damned thing.

There is no comparison, on several levels. Ask Russians. They also cannot publically protest, or they go to jail upon the 3rd offense. The extent of the disinformation in Russian news media really does not compare with news media spin in the US MSM. Access in Russia is also limited because the majority live on extremely limited budgets. Look for yourself. There is a massive difference between types of access to the news in the US vs. that in other countries, and in Russia. Regarding search engines, there are some Russians who know how to set DNS to 8.8.8.8, and how to instead use DuckDuckGo, or other alternative search options. The Russian Government blocks access to some sites, and thus in Russia many use a VPN. But as I said, there is also the desire in Russia to believe that the government is in good hands. Many who are under age 35 are very angry with the government abuses, and they often protest, when there isn't the threat of jail. There is a similar problem in Iran, where half the population is under 35 and sick of the theocracy. It boils down to one issue: you have better access to relatively reliable news media in a fuctioning democracy than in a dictatorship. It's that simple. They don't compare. It's world history 101.