Freedom of press - a myth or reality?

The idea of freedom of press is great. But does this freedom exist in reality? Freedom of press works well for Paparazzi who one wishes did not have this fundamental right. On the other hand decent news papers and magazines depend greatly on advertisements and sponsorships and a free press in a corporate setting is a joke. In oppressive regimes people yearn for the freedom of the press and when people become free they become paparazzi or corporate. So we come to the conclusion that propagating freedom cannot be a job but either it is an ideology or a hobby. This holds for academics too. In the past either the rich like kings studied or the hermits did. Both had no need to earn a living. And then there was freedom in academics.