You can lay the blame squarely with the TV executives who, beginning in the 80's shifted their news departments into their entertainment divisions. It's been pretty much a predictable decline in actual reporting, with the resulting increase in presentation values.
What a lot of folks do not understand is that Television networks, like Radio and print media are designed to do one thing: Sell Advertising. That's where the money is. News media exists to make money, and the absolute lion's share of that money comes through advertising dollars. Subscription fees normally pull in maybe 2% or revenue at best.
How do they get people and, especially, corporations and other businesses to buy advertising? By showing a large number of readers, and other demographics. More bang for the advertiser's bucks.
They get people to WATCH and buy and listen to them by running sensational stories and by generating conflict. Conflict makes people take sides, and start talking about the stories, and THAT gets the news sources mentioned, and THAT sells advertising.
Anyway, the point is that you should always get your news from a variety of sources and compare the stories. Do your homework and understand that the reporters are there to create controversy. If they can slant, spin or nuance what someone says to make the story more salacious, they will. Every. Single. Time.
respects,
