I won't be of much help because I acknowledge that I am a biased conservative. But here goes. The media is very, very distrusted in the U.S. They have been caught in lie after lie. Not just during this campaign but for many years now. They have an agenda, and conservatives strongly feel it is a liberal one. Studies showed that 91% of Trump's media coverage during the general election against Hillary was negative. A startling figure.
So, when the media claims facts, Trump counters with "alternative facts." The media claimed the mall was half empty and Trump counters with alternative facts meant to counter the liberal media line.
Just yesterday, a liberal pool reporter tweeted that the MLK bust had been removed by Trump from the Oval Office. Pictures then appear showing the bust still in place. The offending pool reporter retracts his tweet but the damage is done. Conservatives believe, rightly in my opinion, that a liberal President would never have been accused of this in the first place.
So media "facts" are now countered with "alternative facts."
The Media doesn't recognize facts. Since they "lie with the Truth" facts are to be sifted, shifted, twisted, or re arranged in order to support an agenda...(ie: America is a racist, sexist, homophobic, Religiously intolerant, White male dominated Christian KKK Capitalist economy that is unfair, illegal, & illegitimate along with a complete lie designed to protect a White male hierarchy and oppress Women and minorities)
That's their 'fact', and
anything that happens must be shaped into 'alternative facts' that they then promote as Truth which is designed to support or confirm that agenda. "Lying with the Truth"
Things happen, but if they don't support that agenda or don't fit it, they then make up their own set of facts to support it and then make you think that agenda is the real Truth.
Nothing else is allowed to compete with their "agenda". Thus "alternative facts".