Sometimes journalists (or "journalists") are the ones in power or they are controlled by those in power

I'd argue once it is controlled by those in power it stops being called journalism and becomes propaganda.

Who makes the distinction? If I'm not sure if something should be categorized as propaganda or journalism who do I ask?

I have a hard time thinking of any such example.

Certainly their editors and the publisher/owner, but journalists themselves?

The Soviet Union? China right now?

If you own the owners of media, you own all the journalists by virtue of the fact that to be a journalist requires someone to get a job as a journalist. In a place like the US you might have a handful of top people freelance and still be able to eat, but that is very rare.

You don't even need to go overseas. Just look at the NY Times and why they got the Iraq war so wrong or for even more egregious examples go and look at our wars before that. The fact that many of the high level positions on the news desk at the Times are filled by former employees of the US State department or intelligence agencies might give you a hint.

But then should you be blaming the journalists?

Also, is it even journalism at that point?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Journalism

Oh I don't blame the journalists, I was just helping you think of examples.