So when have the media ever set out the underlying principles, so that people can understand them?
They are CONSTANTLY causing confusion, merely by using the word "confusion", and CONSTANTLY handing out convenient excuses for people to use, that they can then use to not obey the simple rules. Eg "Oh I can't wear a mask because of X, Y, Z", when the X, Y, and Z have come from the media. "I don't have to socially distance because of X, Y, Z", when again those non-existent excuses have come direct from the media. They just repeat them parrot-fashion. Just watch the news and see the excuses people come up with, and then say that the excuse has just been repeating something in the media. It goes on CONSTANTLY on all sorts of issues, long before now.