No, they are lying when they say:
Conservatives assume a cozy relationship between this White House and the reporters who cover it. Wrong.
And the reason is because if they were truly concerned about it, we would hear more about it and not have to be plugged into say, Politico. Perhaps their only valid excuse might be that the reporters themselves are actual journalists but their networks are complicit. I highly doubt it.
But it is interesting to see them feeling the pain of the tyranny they helped create and being worried about it. Too little, too late. There will be some liberals who emerge from their torpid stupors and look around and ask why are they drowning before accepting their fate.