I can only speak for myself on the issue.  I mostly (unless someone prompts me to read a particular article in French or Russian or translates it here) only read/see/hear English language news outlets.  Personally, it is NPR on the radio, flip through the local news and the BBC on TV and everything I can get my hands on online.  I probably take in more news than the av. person, or maybe I actually listen/read critically instead of just absorbing it.  But I swear, regardless of my position on Russia, from Thursday on, there was a constant, I mean, unending barrage of fearmongering, one-sided (regardless who you blame for the conflict, you should at least be able to hear the position of both sides) news about Russia's invasion of Georgia.

This has begun to change in the past few days, as more actual information reaches more people, as people have calmed down a bit.  Immediately, most people here were getting their news from places like CNN, NPR, etc. which specializing in this "the second it happens" reporting.  It took a while for the voices in the wilderness to get some air time, for people to want to listen to academics and specialists and not the reporter in Gori talking about bombs.   Last night and today cooler heads seem to be prevailing.  

I am glad this was not the case where you live.  That was the case here.  Here it was for many days a fact that "the Western press would unanimously condemn Russia and generally ascribe Putin as 'evil' compared to the 'good' west."  I will call it the "English language press," though.  Because it was not just America.  The BBC was pretty shameless.  

I don't think anyone has ANYTHING to gain by inventing the issue of anti-Russia propaganda in the press.  Nor, of course, is every critical thing written "propaganda."  But it's there, and from my perspective, it was in force, more so than I can ever recall having seen before.  It was pretty ugly.  

"Pretending that you already know the answer when you don't is not actually very helpful." ~Migeru.