Alright I'm gonna have an equally unpopular opinion here: I don't think the media means to manipulate the populace, I think they'll just do literally anything for money, and bad news and reactionary content makes the most money. The media isn't pushing an agenda, it's just saying whatever will make the most people tune in. It's pushing anti-agenda, anti-belief, anti-ideology. In a word, nihilism.

I also think people all want to blame some group for the problems of the world instead of admitting that the world just sucks and is complicated.

"Police are the problem" "government is the problem" "corporations are the problem" "the media is the problem" "religion is the problem" "consumerism is the problem"

These riots are happening because human beings are animals with animal instincts and it they are not held to a higher power they devolve into madness. This higher power doesn't necessarily have to be religion or nationalism, it just has to be SOMETHING beyond "ooh boy can't wait to buy Funko pops and masturbate and smoke weed!" Or else people will seek out "meaning" in gangs and riots and protests and writing hot takes on Twitter and circlejerking on Reddit.