First off, there's a difference between parents who have "no apparent interest", and those who don't possess the skills. One of them can be forgiven.

I have taught adults, as well as young kids and young adults. Most parents over 45 or so grew up with "truthful" media, or so we thought. However, back then, manipulation was new and practiced by few outlets. Ads were first - just try to remember old cigarrette or booze ads - very sexy, smoky, manly, etc. that was the beginning, whether it was intentional or not. On the other hand, you had Walter Cronkite, and other newsmen who were so honest and straightforward, that you believed, no, trusted what they said.

Funny thing is - we can see manipulation when it is NOT directed at us. i.e. marketing to minorities, the elderly, etc. When they sell cars and phones and appliances, we really notice it less (adults).

My experience: Little kids are VERY attuned to this as soon as they see it. I've had 6th graders come back to me as seniors and relate how they consume media differently after my classes. If they see it as teens for the first time, they are VERY skeptical, why?, because almost all the ads in the world are targeted at them! And adults see it as a big evil, aimed at their kids, that they are somehow immune to.

It's a tough thing to illustrate to people. It would be akin to preaching atheism during the middle ages, or even the renaissance. So, no, I don't blame these people, they've been indoctrinated.

Example: How could Fox news be so popular? If you watch it for a little, then go to ANY other station, you will get such a dissonance in headlines, that you'd have to wonder WTF?. How many people do? Most people are too uneducated, overworked, worried, harried, or scared to even care. The thought that their television is lying to them would just be too much. Think about a sports fan who finds out that everything in their favorite sport is fixed - -

I hope I answered your question. I don't have a solution, except that I've devoted some of my life to making people aware of our plight. Get active, there are many outlets, just google. Spread the word.

I belong to a group called ACME (no coyote). Action Coalition for Media Education. There are many others, some good. It's' not the kind of thing that gets funded, esp. now.