I agree with the other comments but remember how different things are now.
Back in Jefferson’s time, there were thousands of small newspapers, they were usually just a page or two and they were all independent. Today corporations own most newspapers and they force them to toe the company line when it comes to what they can print. TV and radio are worse, most are just propaganda outlets (Fox is among the worst) and are in the entertainment business not in the news business. The PBS stations are independent when it comes to local events but most get national news from PBS or NPR, they are pretty good but they are slanted to the left.
You have to be very careful who you trust, the foreign sources are best because they don’t gain much by pushing one view or another. Even there you have to be sure they aren’t just a mouthpiece for China or Russia.
The more allies Rome had the more territory it could have under its control. Also the other places bring new cultures into Rome so that it could grow in that aspect as well.
