People are so hooked on space fantasy.

You might be interested in this website: Mundane SF. It's an attempt by some writers to call for less fantasy in science fiction. They have a blog, too.

- - - - - - - - - - - - -

To take the political hot-button out of your post, let's assume that by "mainstream media" you meant the non-scientific reportage of scientific discoveries. As a group, their record for inaccuracy is legendary, which makes the few journalists who understand the science they write about stand out even farther.

Just try not to forget all the trained professional scientists who can trace their careers to a moment of inspiration they received from a 'popular' article or book. Then, add to them all the people like us who don't practice a scientific discipline, but pursue the knowledge any way we can.

For instance: what got you started, and where did you read it?

In my case, it was a Giant Golden Book of Astronomy I was given at the age of 5... which was long enough ago that the origin of lunar craters -- volcanic vs. impact -- was still unsettled.