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It is a combination of the two. The news media is a business. They are in business to chase advertisers. Advertisers want the greatest number of eyeballs watching their ads. As measurements of audience interests have gotten better and better at determining what works best to not only get those eyeballs but to also maintain them, what works is what works.
What works... what has always worked... is salacious news. "If it bleeds, it leads" is an old newspaper adage and it is as true today as it was in the past. The more sensation the better.
While there has always been a push to present this sort of content, there has also been a counter balance to present information that informs and serves, "the public good". I would suggest that this counter balance is out of whack. The race to ratings, combined with a big helping of monkey see monkey do has led the media in a race to the bottom. Those who fight against it are deemed, "out of touch" or "old school". They either adapt or find themselves out of a job.
In addition to all of this is the push to simplify. Headline News rather than the full story. The endlessly repeated sound bite rather than investigative reporting. Simple, short and easy to consume exacerbates the situation described above. There is little room for nuance in a headline.
I don't see any end to this and only expect it to get worse.
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"My hands are on fire. Hands are on fire. Ain't got no more time for all you charlatans and liars."
- Old Man Luedecke
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