A non-corrupt government, by nature, will never exist. That’s why the press needs to exist, until it also becomes corrupt. There seems to be no difference between the national press and the government in the US. I remember when I was a kid, I thought the press was part of the government. I kept seeing government officials going to work for the press and I just assumed it was one big organization. Now that I’ve gotten older and understand what’s going on, I realize that I understood more as a kid than I thought I did.
The only way the sheriff will be reigned in is by the local citizenry. If they ignore it or accept it, then there’s nothing to to stop him.