They know the Q group is real. The media are nothing but propagandists.
This article about Q Group is from 2013:
https://www.thedailybeast.com/inside-the-q-group-the-directorate-hunting-down-edward-snowden?ref=home
"The people who began chasing Snowden work for the Associate Directorate for Security and Counterintelligence, according to former U.S. intelligence officers who spoke on condition of anonymity. The directorate, sometimes known as “the Q Group,” is continuing to track Snowden now that he’s outed himself as The Guardian’s source, according to the intelligence officers."