After celebrity attorney Michael Avenatti was arrested on charges for attempting to extort Nike, he allegedly revealed something that many Americans have “known” and have been concerned about regarding the trustworthiness of the media.

During this alleged conversation, Avenatti bragged about his ease of access to the public ear should Nike not meet his demands, stating that 90% of what we’ve heard is “bull” anyway, and that most of the allegations about President Donald Trump were “bulls—t” to begin with.

But what’s probably scarier than the threat of extortion is the fact that much of what Avenatti claims about the media — and his access to it — is true.

A 2018 analysis by The Washington Free Beacon revealed that Avenatti made a staggering 108 cable television media appearances in a two-month period. He became a Leftmedia sensation, clocking in enough airtime to be a part-time correspondent. Avenatti made not 10, not 20 … but 65 appearances on CNN, and more than 40 on MSNBC to appeal to viewers afflicted by TDS — better known as “Trump Derangement Syndrome.”

The very fact that this sleazy attorney and his “bull” approach to manipulating the media has had this kind of media access calls for more responsible media consumption on all fronts.

These talking heads use the Leftmedia to play the American people, using cases — frequently involving minorities and crime, and the border crisis — to stir up ill sentiments against our president and to divide us. What’s sad is that these networks have allowed it, and for far too long.

Their weapon of choice? Human emotion, pulling on the heartstrings of Americans and targeting viewers who are less informed in their desperate attempt to siphon out ratings. Thanks to social media, many of these attempts were foiled.

CNN was caught in a Twitter backlash after images suggest the network used staged photos to paint a harrowing image of women and children running from tear gas at the U.S.-Mexico border. CNN’s initial news coverage was met with shock and dismay as people empathized with migrant families. However, the alleged uncropped image shows a cameraman setting up to stage the photo.

Meanwhile, in reality, 54% of “likely U.S. voters” put the blame on parents — not the American government — for bringing their children to the border, according to a 2018 Rasmussen poll. Without surprise, very little was heard from the left-wing cable media about how Americans really felt about the border crisis.

Like a sound scientific experiment, this fake news phenomenon has been repeated time after time — from the Trayvon Martin to Stormy Daniels, and now Jussie Smollett. It all comes down to the manufactured outrage against “white America.” And little do leftists know that this lack of journalistic integrity is exactly what led Trump to the White House. Americans have had enough.

Sadly, within many black communities across the nation, the media’s manipulation maintains an iron grip. Freddie Gray and Michael Brown are still echoed as heroes in black America despite the truth being out there. The Leftmedia is skilled at harvesting these cherry-picked stories that only exist to remind us that racism is alive and kicking — even though these cases frequently lack a single shred of proof. Only analysis and opinions are offered.

And it didn’t take long for the media to air black liberal Hollywood’s outcry against white supremacy in light of the Jussie Smollett hoax. This leftist media had all the right ingredients to manipulate black viewers’ minds and hearts as airwaves filled with sentiments about racism. Sadly, the damage had already been done long before Smollett’s claim was ruled a sham. Now that all 16 charges against the Empire star have been dropped, the Leftmedia can consider this mission complete.

What Americans can take from this is that there is no “undoing” poor journalism. By the time a tainted, incomplete or misleading story breaks, the message has already reached its intended audience, and little can be done to convince some viewers or readers that what they heard from their “trusted sources” is no longer true. This is the hand that the Left has played for far too long. Fortunately, the American people are no longer accepting these crafted narratives at face value.

Thanks to social media and the rise of American conservative and independent media, the people are pushing back. We are doing the media’s job for them by informing and educating each other instead of relying on whatever floats down mainstream channels.

To all Americans who are concerned with their media consumption to do the following: Read stories from all sides, know (and understand) the ideologies of the talking heads you trust, and always put facts above emotion.

To those who don’t believe leftist manipulation of the media is real, explain this: Why are liberal pundits melting down after the Mueller investigation revealed President Trump did not collude with Russia? Any rationally thinking American would be relieved to know their president — then candidate — did not partner with a foreign nation to meddle in the election. This would be true if only manufactured outrage — or “bulls—t” in Avenatti’s own words — weren’t at play.